Fragile
by irite
Summary: Just as things with the team begin to settle, Thor has to return to Asgard, leaving Loki all alone on Earth. And it's time for Darcy to go back to school. How are they going to handle these changes? Tasertricks or Loki/Darcy, and also background Thor/Bruce, Natasha/Tony, and Clint/Steve. Sequel to "Friction," Part IV of "If Nothing Else."
1. Letting Go

**This is the fourth work in a series, but I've done my best to ensure that it can stand on its own; if there are questions, please ask!**

**My beta, dysprositos, made the fuckawesome cover image and also puts up with my whining. And I do a lot of that.**

**Warning: allusions to torture.**

* * *

About a month after he had made his TV appearance with Thor, Loki is writing notes to his parents.

Thor is going to go home to Asgard tomorrow, and Loki has chosen to remain on Earth, although Thor has offered to take Loki with him several times. Loki is still uneasy about returning home—he feels safe here with the others around—and he suspects that part of Thor's business (which he wants nothing to do with) will be with the sorcerer who had been impersonating him during the attempted invasion of Earth.

Loki had been a prisoner then, his own magic and even voice bound up in a complicated spell. It had taken time to regain those abilities, and even now, he is still recovering.

Capture is so taxing on one's psyche.

He has mostly managed to block those experiences from his mind (it was not like he had never been captured before, after all. But that handful of other times had all been with Thor, or on one memorable occasion, with the Lady Sif.), but he is nonetheless attempting to work through them one part at a time.

And so far, it has been going well. He has successfully managed to eliminate most of his nightmares and build friendships with Thor's new friends, none of whom seem to judge him for his weakness.

Or for his origins; he had spent several days locked in his Jötunn form while his magic had still been tied up, and none of Thor's friends had given any indication that they were bothered by his evident differences. In fact, Tony had even made several sets of protective clothing after Loki accidentally gave Steve a mild case of frostbite, so that the others could be around Loki without worry that they would suffer the same discomfort.

The part of that less than amusing experience that Loki looks back upon most fondly, though, is the complete lack of animosity or even judgment on his brother's face. While Thor had known that Loki was not of his race, knowing something and experiencing it for the first time are two completely different things. Especially considering Thor's past hatred of the Jötunn.

But Thor had just smiled at Loki, and when he was able to embrace Loki safely, wearing Tony's protective gear, Thor had done so without hesitation.

Loki smiles a little now, just thinking about it, before picking up his pen and resuming his letter to his mother.

He tells her a little of his current situation, and of his newfound friends (he is hesitant to call them 'teammates,' because for all of their assurances that this is indeed the case, Loki still finds that hard to believe).

Deliberating for a moment, Loki puts down his pen and stands up, stretching. "JARVIS, where is Thor?"

Addressing an invisible entity had been odd for a time, but Loki is accustomed to unusual magicks and other such things, and he had quickly become used to Tony's AI.

"Master Thor is in his room, Master Loki. Would you like me to tell him that you are looking for him?"

"Please inform him that I am on my way up and would like to speak with him."

"Of course, sir."

Loki goes up one floor to knock at the door of his brother's room. Well, it is actually Thor and Bruce's room; his brother has been in a relationship with the scientist for nearly the whole summer.

And that is what he needs to speak to his brother about, his relationship. Also, it is why he wants JARVIS to announce his arrival; he had caught Bruce and Thor involved in intimate activities once and that was an encounter he has no desire to repeat.

Thor opens the door and immediately pulls Loki into a hug, exclaiming, "Brother, I'm glad to see you!"

He has easily settled into the more relaxed speaking patterns of most Midgardians, but Loki cannot bring himself to do the same. Besides, his ordeal where he had been unable to speak has left him with the need to speak as little as possible; he learned other methods of nonverbal communication and prefers those.

"Hello, Thor."

Thor steps to the side. "Come in, please. What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Is Bruce here?"

"Not at the moment. He's with Darcy, I believe."

Better to get straight to the point, then. "Thor, are you planning to inform Father and Mother of your relationship with Bruce?"

"I am, yes. Although they probably are already aware, unless Heimdall decided to let me be the one to tell them. Actually, I hope he did. It's kind of embarrassing to have the all-seeing gatekeeper tell your parents about your boyfriend, don't you think?"

"It probably is. I am certain Mother and Father will be glad for you either way."

"Thanks, Loki. Why'd you want to know?"

"I am writing to our parents," suddenly it occurs to Loki that he has not asked if Thor minds taking his letters to Asgard, and he adds, "That is, if you do not mind delivering my notes for me?"

"'Course I don't mind, Loki. I wish you were going with me, but I know it's better for you to stay here."

"Thank you, Thor. As I was saying, I was writing to Mother and I wanted to speak about Bruce."

"All good things, I hope?" Thor looks quite young when he is hopeful, rather like a puppy.

"Of course, Thor. I do like Bruce. He is a wonderful man."

"I think so too."

"Well, I am glad that you do, as you are the one dating him!" Loki laughs.

Thor chuckles as well and goes into the bedroom, where he has an open bag on the bed. "Just bring your letters to me when you're finished with them, and I'll put them in with the things that I'm taking to Asgard."

He does not refer to it as 'home,' and Loki finds that new. They are both adjusting well to life on Earth, it would seem.

"I will, and thank you, again, Thor."

"It's no trouble at all, brother," Thor again moves to hug Loki, who acquiesces. Ever since Thor had recovered him from the camp of the Chitauri, Thor has been extremely generous with his displays of affection.

Not that Loki minds too much, of course. He does love Thor. And it is nice to feel Thor's concern for him.

"Well, I want to finish writing, so I should return."

"See you at lunch, Loki, and we're going out for dinner tonight. You, Bruce, and I, right?"

"I have not changed my plans. I look forward to it. I will miss you, brother."

"And I you, but I believe that a trip home is necessary at this time."

Loki does not wish to press Thor, but he knows that Thor would prefer for Bruce to accompany him and meet their parents.

But Loki (and probably Thor, because he is not a total fool) realize that meeting the king and queen of Asgard is an overwhelming prospect, especially when Bruce is unsure how he will be received.

Perhaps Loki speak to Bruce about that and reassure him that their parents will be thrilled to meet him. It would be the least he could do.

Loki gives Thor a nod and then lets himself out, going up one floor to his room, where he resumes writing his letter, dedicating several paragraphs to Bruce and Loki's impressions of the man.

They are all positive, even when Loki speaks about the green being that Bruce contains within himself. He has been shown the video of 'Hulk' swinging his doppelganger around like a child's toy during the attempted invasion (by Tony, who was rather gleeful about the encounter), and Loki derived some satisfaction from that.

Secondhand revenge, almost.

But when Loki had met Hulk, he had almost immediately recognized Loki as another being entirely from the one he so disliked, and had dubbed Loki "green-man." It had been a most memorable introduction, certainly.

Bruce himself is a kind man, brilliant and good for Thor.

He had not gone out of his way to win Loki's affection, but had been sincere and understanding of Loki's differences, which seems to be how he treats everyone.

Loki knows that Bruce had wanted Loki's approval of his relationship with Thor, but Loki likes that besides that obvious deference, Bruce had not cultivated Loki's acquaintance only to impress Thor, but seemed genuinely interested in Loki as his own person, completely independent of Bruce's relationship with Thor.

He concludes his letter to his mother, the shorter missive for his father already completed, and neatly folds the two into envelope-sized rectangles, and then places them in the envelopes, his parents' titles neatly written on the front of each.

But when he goes to seal the envelopes, he is baffled by the oddly colored, shiny strip along the edges. He is accustomed to sealing his envelopes with wax, after all.

Rather than ask JARVIS how the people of Earth accomplish this small task, he decides to go find Darcy, who has been his helper in learning about most things Midgardian.

Clint is a good friend, but Loki has always felt rather uncomfortable making demands upon his time after what he knows the impostor did to him. Natasha is usually rather challenging to locate, as she does not spend most of her time in common areas, and Loki dislikes asking JARVIS to provide the location of anyone except Thor, as that seems like an invasion of their privacy.

Tony and Steve are similarly hard to find, and Loki does not want to seem incompetent in front of his brother and Bruce or take up their time, so that just leaves Darcy.

She has always been willing to help, though, and she is easy to talk to. And she is usually not challenging to locate, spending most of her time in common areas or her room, which is just across the hall from Loki's.

He goes over to knock on her door.

A moment later, it opens, "Yeah? Oh, hey, Loki, what's up?"

"Not much, Darcy," he has learned that is the acceptable response to such an inquiry. "I have a question if you are available."

"Oh, sure, come on in. I was just drafting an email to my advisor, but that can wait. What is it?"

Loki pulls the envelopes out from behind his back, abashedly. "I am not sure how to seal these."

She laughs, "It's glue. You lick them, and your saliva does the work. Here, I'll show you," and she takes one of the letters from his hand and demonstrates, making a disgusted face as she folds the flap down.

Loki follows her example with the other one, and he too dislikes the taste.

Handing his letter back, she says, "Gross, isn't it?" And as is her habit, she continues speaking without waiting for a response, "But that's the way they all taste. Where'd you get the paper and crap?"

"JARVIS told me where Tony keeps his, although he said, 'Mr. Stark never uses such outdated items as pen and paper' and seemed glad to know that the items were still in the building. I am of the opinion that writing letters by hand is rather old-fashioned."

"It kinda is, but these are for your parents, right?"

He nods, and she continues, "So that's not so bad, I mean, no electronic communication can get through to Asgard, yeah?"

"That is correct. I do not mind being old-fashioned."

"You're not old-fashioned, don't be silly. Now, uh..."

"You need to return to your task. Thank you for your assistance, and I will not keep you from your 'email' any longer."

"No prob, Loki. See you later."

"You will be coming to lunch, correct?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

That seems to be a rhetorical question, and as she turns back to the laptop sitting on her bed, and Loki lets himself out, going back up to Thor's room.

Since Bruce was no longer with Darcy, he decides that he should be cautious and asks, "JARVIS, would you please tell Thor that I have brought my letters?"

"Certainly, Master Loki." A moment later, JARVIS adds, "Ah, if you could please leave the letters next to the door? Master Thor will collect them shortly."

"Thank you, JARVIS." Bending down, Loki places them just to the right of the door and then he goes down to what seems to be the common floor, where the others congregate when they are in the mood for company.

He finds Steve and Clint sitting close together on the couch in the living room (they had announced their relationship to the others on the day that Loki and Thor had given their interview and seem to have only gotten more at ease with each other since), playing a video game.

They look comfortable and Loki does not want to interrupt, so he continues on into the kitchen, where Natasha is busy working on lunch.

Duties such as this are usually divided up into groups of two, and Loki inquires, "Where is the other person who is supposed to be helping you?"

She looks up from what she is doing, seemingly just noticing him, although Loki doubts that is the case; Natasha is always aware of her surroundings, "Darcy said she would be late, needed to work on something for her school. It's no big deal."

"Would you like some help?"

"Sure thing." She indicates a mixing bowl and several piles of chopped vegetables. "Mix those into the bowl, will you? We're having tuna salad."

Loki washes his hands quickly as he has been instructed to do before food preparation and then does as she has instructed, stirring the vegetables into the fish.

They work quietly together until Natasha asks, "Should I make sandwiches or just serve it with crackers, do you think?"

"I would like mine with crackers. That also seems like it would require less work on your part."

"Okay, sounds good." She finishes cutting up the vegetables and goes over to the cabinet, searching around, presumably for the crackers.

"Ah ha," she crows, brandishing them at Loki, who smiles in return.

"Okay, JARVIS, tell everyone that lunch is ready, please."

"Certainly, Ms. Romanoff."

She takes the bowl from Loki and sets it to the side, switching out the spoon he had been mixing with for a serving spoon and opening the package and putting the crackers next to it.

He moves out of the way so that their friends can come serve themselves, but she sets a stack of plates to the side and takes two off the top, handing him one.

"Go on and get yours, they're probably all going to take forever to come down here," she admonishes, serving herself.

"Who's taking forever?" Tony walks around the corner and slides his arm around Natasha's waist, acting like he is going to take her plate.

"Get your own," she chides, laughing, and Loki carefully steps around the couple (because they too are dating; he and Darcy are the only unattached persons in residence) to get his own lunch.

It is an action he never would have undertaken on Asgard, as food preparation was something he considered to be beneath his station as a prince. But on Earth, they are all equals, and Loki finds himself enjoying simple tasks he previously would have disdained.

Tony and Natasha are now kissing in the middle of the kitchen, so Loki collects his lunch and goes into the dining room to give them some privacy, sitting in his customary seat and waiting for the others to arrive so that he can begin eating.

That is only polite, after all.

Soon, Natasha and Tony come laughing into the room, and Clint and Steve are not too far behind them. Natasha points them into the kitchen to get their own food, and Thor, Bruce, and Darcy all come in at the same time and receive the same "Food's in the kitchen," from Natasha.

After everybody has sat down, Loki begins to eat, paying attention to the others' conversation but contributing little, as is his habit.

When there is a lull in the discussion of restaurants, Thor reminds the others that he, Bruce, and Loki will not be there for dinner that evening and then turns to Loki. "I got your letters, brother, and I have already packed them."

Loki simply smiles and nods in return, acknowledging Thor.

They finish eating their lunches and all stand to take their plates into the kitchen; Loki believes that Clint and Steve are supposed to be cleaning the dishes.

Since he has no responsibility here, he goes into the living room to watch some television for a while, wanting something to occupy himself as he has nothing to do until he goes out for dinner that evening.

* * *

The next morning, Loki rises promptly after his alarm wakes him and dresses quickly, going down to breakfast.

Thor is supposed to be leaving just after they eat, and Loki wants to spend as much time as possible with his brother before he departs.

Probably anticipating this, Thor and Bruce are already downstairs, although it is not their morning to cook (Tony had offered to bring in pastries from the bakery down the street as a going-away present of sorts for Thor, and the group had accepted).

Loki walks over and puts his arms around Thor for a longer-than-usual embrace, resting his head on Thor's shoulder for a moment.

Then he pulls away and turns to Bruce, giving him a hug, seemingly surprising the shorter man, if his startled inhalation is an indication.

But he knows that it will be hard for Bruce to let Thor go today (Loki has always found it challenging to watch as his brother rides off for grand adventures while he has to remain behind; of course, this time he is choosing to stay here, stay home, even—and Bruce and Thor have not been apart since they commenced their relationship), and Loki wants to be comforting. He has only hugged Bruce a time or two before, though, and he can see how it would be shocking.

Taking a seat on the couch next to them as they sit back down, Loki inquires, "Are you ready to leave?"

"I am, unless you've thought of something else you want me to take."

Loki shakes his head, and they sit there in the quiet, Thor and Bruce tucked together, until Steve puts his head around the corner, "You guys coming into the dining room or you want to eat in here?"

Thor looks to Bruce and Loki and then responds, "We're coming, Steve, thanks."

They rise and go into the dining room; they are the last ones present, but the others have saved three seats together for them, which Loki appreciates.

Without needing to be prompted, Thor takes a seat in the middle chair, allowing Bruce and Loki to sit on either side of him.

There is little conversation from the group as a whole, probably appreciating the gravity of the situation.

The pastries are palatable, but Loki finds himself having a hard time concentrating on his meal, too busy missing Thor before he has even left.

He tries to not think about that, but without anyone speaking, there is little else for him to concentrate on. And he does not feel capable of starting a conversation that will hold the group's attention for long.

So he stays quiet and tries to think about what he will do after Thor leaves without thinking about the 'Thor is leaving' bit.

It is calming, but soon Thor is pushing his chair back from the table and standing to take his dishes into the kitchen and Loki cannot help but remember.

His movement sparks the others into motion as well, and everybody is filing into the other room to put their things in the sink. Loki is supposed to be washing them this morning, but he will wait until after Thor's departure to do that; he doubts anyone will mind.

Natasha nods to Thor and slips from the room, and Thor picks up his bag from where he had left it out of the way in the corner of the living room and sets it at his feet along with Mjölnir.

Then he speaks the incantation for his armor, the one that Loki had taught him all those years ago, which brings a smile to Loki's face.

Once he is properly attired (as comfortable as Loki and Thor both find Midgardian clothing, it is not at all suitable for their parents' court), he bends down to speak in Bruce's ear.

They remain close together until Natasha returns, the Tesseract device dangling from her hand.

"Here you go, Thor. Think you'll be bringing that back with your or do you think the uh, bridge is repaired?"

"If the Bifrost had been repaired, I think my friends would have come for a visit, so I will most likely be using the Tesseract to return here."

"Okay, then. Have a safe trip," she says and goes over to stand between Tony and Clint.

The rest of the group adds their goodbyes, and then it is only Loki left.

Thor embraces him tightly, whispering in his ear, "I love you, brother. Take care of yourself, and uh..."

It is unlike Thor to be this hesitant, and Loki can guess at the reason, "I will watch over Bruce in your absence, Thor. Do tell Mother that I miss her."

Beaming, Thor holds Loki more tightly for a brief moment before letting him go. "I'll certainly pass on your message to Mother. Bye, everyone."

And he slides Mjölnir into his belt, slings his bag over a shoulder, and takes a handle of the Tesseract device in each hand. He twists, and then Thor is gone.

The group begins to dissipate, and Loki observes Darcy going over to Bruce with a small nod before he goes into the kitchen to carry out his responsibility there.

After he has finished rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher, Loki goes in search of Bruce.

He finds him in Darcy's room with her, the door open, holding a conversation about her schooling. Loki would have little to contribute to such a conversation, so he goes into his room across the hall, leaving the door open so he can hear when Bruce departs.

Loki's room is disorderly, Thor having just recently removed the last of his things from the closet and drawers so that he could fully move into Bruce's room.

With a fond sigh (this is far from the first time he has needed to clean up Thor's messes, and probably not the last, either), Loki begins to set things to rights, straightening the blankets on the extra bed that Thor had temporarily used when they had first arrived at the Tower and going around the room, carefully refolding his things and then closing drawers properly.

The dresser has been moved away from the wall slightly, probably done by Thor too exuberantly tugging on it, and Loki moves to push it back into place.

But when he does so, something falls to the floor beneath it.

Curious, Loki moves the chest of drawers further away from the wall so that he can insinuate his hand behind it to remove the small package.

Pushing the piece of furniture back into its place, Loki carries the small bundle over to his bed and takes a seat, turning the items over in his lap.

Upon closer inspection, it is a diagram of some sort carefully wrapped around a vial of blue liquid, sealed tightly.

Loki knows better than to tamper with another's potion, so he sets that aside and finishes unfolding the diagram, turning it over in his hands until he determines which edge is the top.

He cannot understand what it is illustrating, but a scrawled signature in the bottom corner catches his eye.

It reads _'R. Bruce Banner.'_

* * *

**Reviews make me happy, feed the author?**


	2. Snap Decisions

**My beta, dysprositos, is the absolute best and is forever reminding me to be more clear.**

**Warning: mention of cancer. That makes me really sad, so I thought it was worth mentioning.**

* * *

Darcy stares, awed, as Thor twists his device (_Hey, wasn't that __the __cube __that was __powering the portal the Chitauri came through? We saw that on TV and Jane, well..._). And when he vanishes, that's pretty much the coolest thing she's ever seen.

But today's not about her, but about Bruce. Darcy had been there for the beginnings of Bruce and Thor's relationship, had seen Bruce worry and fuss over whether agreeing to go out with Thor was a good idea (and had told him that it _was_, if he was interested—and as it turned out, he was). She had seen Bruce tell Thor 'yes,' seen them both give each other identical stupid grins.

Seen Loki and Bruce tentatively begin to get along, seen Thor move into Bruce's room.

But in all that time, she has never seen Bruce and Thor be apart for very long, not more than a few hours, at least, and here is Thor going back to Asgard for an indefinite stay.

That'd be enough to frazzle anyone, much less Bruce, who is still suffering from huge self-esteem issues, despite all the progress he has been making.

So she bustles over to Bruce after Thor disappears, seeing Loki also checking on Bruce out of the corner of her eye.

Darcy's worried about him, too, but she thinks Loki probably has a better handle on Thor's departure than Bruce. After all, they've been apart before. That makes Bruce her main priority.

"You okay, doc?" she asks, sliding a hand through his arm. He always acts a little standoffish about physical contact, but she knows he doesn't really mind it—likes it, even. He was just too scared about accidentally Hulking-out for years to let other people in close, and now that he's not worried about that, he still hasn't managed to break the habit.

She's always been a hugger, though, so being the one to initiate things isn't too different from the way she'd interact with other people. And it's _Bruce_, she can't help but want to cuddle him.

"I'm fine, Darce," Bruce mutters.

"Sure you are," she agrees sunnily. "Come on, then, I want to talk to you about some school things, _Doctor_ Banner."

Distraction is the best way to go, she figures, and it's better if he thinks he's doing something good for her. That way, he won't realize that she's actually doing this for his benefit.

"Okay." He allows her to tug him out of the living room (only throwing one last glance over his shoulder at the spot where Thor had vanished) and into the elevator.

In her room, she throws herself onto the bed, and when he starts to look around for a chair, she pats the space next to her.

He sits where he's told, and then she shoves his shoulder until he relaxes back against her pillows. Once that's done, she gets up to retrieve her laptop from where it's plugged into the charger next to the wall.

Bruce glances around. "What do you need help with?"

Honestly? Nothing. But he doesn't need to know that. "I'm having a little trouble figuring out what the rest of the credits I need are, exactly. I left my list of requirements, well, I don't know where, they're probably in my old dorm room or something."

"I'm not really familiar with the requirements for a political science degree..."

She's prepared for that, though. "It's got the word 'science' in it, doesn't it? So how different can it be?"

And not letting him argue anymore, she draws him into a discussion of the requirements and then Culver at large, keeping his mind focused on the here and now.

They become involved in a discussion of professors. She's had a few that he remembers from when he worked there, and soon he's telling her some of the...hijinks they got up to when there weren't any students around (and she's taking fastidious mental notes in case she ever needs to blackmail anyone—also, who knew Bruce used to be a partier?).

But then Loki knocks at the open door of her room, and they look up.

He's holding something in his hand, and he crosses the room to give it to Bruce silently, taking a couple steps back.

Bruce unfolds the crinkly paper, sitting up, and Darcy looks over his shoulder. She can't make heads or tails of the drawing, but she does notice Bruce's signature in the bottom corner.

Explains why Loki had brought it to them, then.

Blanching, Bruce looks up at Loki, opens his mouth, and then visibly reconsiders, closing it again.

He takes a minute to compose himself and then tries again, in a much nicer tone than he probably would have originally used, "Where did you get this, Loki?"

"It fell from behind the chest of drawers in my room as I was straightening up. There is also this," and Loki reaches into his pocket and hands Bruce a small container of blue...something.

Bruce seems stunned by...whatever this stuff is, and Darcy takes a moment to look both Loki and Bruce over carefully, making sure that nobody was about to get upset before she tries, "Clearly this is something Bruce wasn't expecting. You think Thor put it there, Loki?"

"I do not know of anyone else having access to my room."

"Okay, then, where would Thor get this kind of stuff? This is just a guess, but I'm thinking this has something to do with Hulk, Bruce."

"You're not wrong," Bruce agrees, but doesn't offer any more information. "And Thor did go pick up a box of things Betty had saved, didn't he? Got me off the hook with those. Guess she was a bit more resourceful than anyone was thinking."

"Do you need to call her, then? What do you need?"

"Natasha. I need to talk to Natasha."

Loki volunteers, "I can bring her to you."

Bruce opens his mouth to respond, probably to decline, but Darcy talks over that, "Sure. Thanks, Loki."

He nods and leaves the room, and Darcy looks at Bruce. "On a scale of one to Chitauri invasion, how bad is this?"

"For everyone else, probably about a three. If Ross knows about it, then it's up there, Darce."

"I thought SHIELD had gotten him off your back," she's confused.

"They have, but he's still out there. Would still love the chance to make Hulk-soldiers, would probably see it as saving his career."

"And for you?"

"For me? This _sucks_, Darcy. Thor was keeping this from me, and it has the potential to, damn, I don't even know."

What he's not saying seems pretty important right now, "But what the hell is this stuff? I don't understand."

"This," he shakes the container of liquid, "is a portion of my supersoldier serum. I thought it had all been destroyed when Hulk came out initially and wrecked my lab. There was only one extra, besides what was injected into me, and I guess Betty must have found it and hidden it for me. And this," he uses his knee to bump the paper, making it crinkle, "is the design for the machine used to administer the serum to the subject, erm, me. Betty must have gotten ahold of it, too. Smart woman."

Darcy doesn't know what she was expecting him to say, but it really wasn't this. After a moment to consider, she blurts, "You aren't going to reverse the procedure, not even if you can from this, right? Hulk's a part of you, Bruce."

"I know that, Darcy. I'm not going to do that to myself. I just got adjusted to the thought of being like this for the rest of my life, and that took a hell of a lot of work, you know, you were there for most of it. And this is an opportunity to potentially reverse the procedure, I won't lie to you. I knew the contents of this," he indicates the vial, "but the design of the insertion chamber was done by another team of scientists, I only looked over it once they were through." His mouth twists, "And signed off on it."

"So what does this mean, then?"

"It means Thor and I have some talking to do, for one," he sounds grim.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Natasha says, walking into the room. "Sorry, I wasn't intending to eavesdrop, but..."

"No problem. You were with Thor when he picked up that box Betty had put in storage for me. You know anything about this?" he shows her what he is holding.

"Are you feeling okay, Bruce?" she asks instead of answering his question.

"I'm going to be just fine. Not going to go green, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm just trying to be cautious. It's nothing personal." And as much as Darcy likes Natasha, that probably could have been handled better.

But then Natasha is continuing, "I told Thor expressly to keep that hidden. I wasn't sure if I could trust you then."

Trust him to do _what_? Darcy's not sure what the big deal is here, but of course she's liked and trusted Bruce since their first meeting. So she asks neutrally, "And now?"

"Now, well, I don't think Bruce will do anything stupid."

"Of course I won't. Despite my past...myopia, I do have a pretty good grasp of the consequences of my attempting to reverse what was already mad science in the middle of New York City."

"I'm glad to hear that. As I was saying, I advised Thor to keep that hidden from you. In hindsight, that was not the best decision, and I apologize. I don't think Thor has any idea what that is, though, so don't hold it against him."

"Thanks, Natasha. I'm not angry with you, I just... Everytime I think this is _over_, something else happens. And I'm sick of it. I just want to be done."

"That's certainly understandable, and I can't say I blame you. If there's anything else I can do..."

"I'll let you know."

Natasha leaves, and Darcy evaluates Bruce carefully. He seems better, less...agitated than he was just a few minutes ago.

"You good? Not gonna freak out on me or anything, are you? I can't stand it when people cry." And it's not the reaction she thinks he would have, but it makes him laugh.

"No, Darce, I'm not going to do any crying. Your shoulders are safe from me."

She mock shudders, "Good. I don't want your gross tear cooties. So. You okay?"

"I'm going to be. I won't tell you I'm feeling great right now 'cause I'm not, but I'll get over it. It's not Thor's fault, and I guess there isn't anyone to blame, really, except Ross. Everyone else was just trying to help."

"Ooh, I bet Tony's got a dartboard around here somewhere, want to put Ross's picture on it and we can throw darts?" Silliness is the best way to cheer people up most of the time, Darcy knows from experience.

"I don't think that will be necessary. But, uh..."

"Go on, it's fine."

"You're sure? I mean, you don't need any more help with your school things right now?" Of course he'd be thinking of her more than himself, figures.

"I'm fine, Bruce. My advisor should be emailing me back later today, and between the two of us and what you've helped me with, I'm in great shape. Um, do you want me to keep this between us? I mean, Loki knows and Natasha knows. She'll probably say something to Tony, so that leaves only Steve, Clint, and, uh, Thor out of the loop. And Steve's team leader, he should probably be told about something like this, you know?"

"I just want a few minutes to myself, and then I'll go find Steve and talk to him, deal?"

"As long as you're going to be okay. I don't want you to be upset, Bruce. You're my friend."

"You're my friend, too, Darce, and don't worry about me."

"Whatever you say, Bruce."

He carefully folds the diagram back up before getting off her bed and heading for the door, his shoulders hunched forward slightly.

Darcy gets up and puts her laptop on the desk against the wall. Loki hadn't come back with Natasha, she had noticed, and she should probably go check on him.

Seems like she's been doing nothing but taking care of everyone else lately, though, so before she tends to Loki, she crawls back onto her bed to just have a quick minute to herself.

* * *

"_Darce, can you come in here?" her mom called feebly from the other room._

_Jumping to her feet, Darcy scrambled around the corner. "What is it, mom?"_

"_There's nothing __good__ on TV, and I've already read everything you got at the library last week. Are you really busy with your homework, or can you sit with me for a while?"_

_Truthfully, Darcy needed to finish up this math worksheet and read the next chapter of her assigned novel, __but that was irrelevant. H__er mom came first. Always had, probably always would._

_So she smiled__ and answered, __"Nah, I'm not busy. What do you want to talk about?"_

_Darcy's mom told her more stories about her childhood, talking about some of the adventures she and her older brother used to have. Some of these, Darcy had heard before, but it __was__ what her mom wanted to do, so she didn't say anything__, just listened attentively, trying to soak up every word, every minute with her mother__._

_And when her mom seemed to run out of steam, just waving a hand around aimlessly, Darcy hopped to her feet__.__ "Hey, I've got an idea! I have to read a chapter for English homework, why don't I go get my book and read it to you?"_

"_Okay."_

_Darcy retrieved the novel and opened it to the page she'd dog-eared in class earlier, giving her mom quick character biographies and a plot summary to catch her up before launching into the chapter._

_When she'd finished, she looked that the time on the DVD player__.__ "Damn, it's almost dinnertime! I need to go make something...I think there's leftovers in the fridge..."_

"_Calm down, Darcy. Just order a pizza, they can have it here in fifteen minutes."_

_Darcy did, and then when her mom asked for the book so she could read it, Darcy gave it up, not mentioning anything about the vocabulary assignment she was supposed to be doing__ with the chapter she'd just finished__. She could rush through that tomorrow morning in homeroom, no problem._

_So she got the money ready for the pizza driver and picked up her backpack from the other room, moving into her mom's bedroom and stretching out on her stomach on the floor to tackle that math assignment._

_Her mom didn't say anything, but Darcy knew she liked having her close._

* * *

Darcy startles awake. "Huh? How long was I out, JARVIS?"

"You were asleep for twenty-eight minutes, Ms. Lewis. Nothing of importance has happened while you were resting."

"That was gonna be my next question, thanks."

"It is not a problem."

Okay, she fell asleep. No big deal.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stands up and goes to knock on Loki's closed door across the hall.

He opens it, and she asks abruptly, "You okay? I know you don't like rocking the boat, and you just made some pretty big waves. Y'know, Bruce isn't angry with you. Or with Thor."

"I appreciate hearing that."

"But it'd be better coming from him, yeah, I get it. Still, I'm sorry. And thanks for bringing that stuff to him. I think he needs a project now that Thor's gone. Speaking of that, how are you holding up?"

"I miss Thor, certainly, but I am fine. He has gone away before, and I am happier being left behind here than I ever was on Asgard."

"Aw, that's nice. You sure you're okay? Don't need anything?"

"I assure you, I am entirely capable of procuring anything that I might need or want. But I thank you, Darcy."

"You're welcome, Loki." He's always so formal, but it's not just her, he does it to everyone.

He seems to want to be alone, so she gives him one more cheery smile and a "See you later!" and turns to leave, going to find Bruce.

Hopefully he's already talked to Steve, but she knows they've had their differences. Even though things are much better now and they've gotten over those, she still wants to go check on Bruce.

So, tipping her face up to the ceiling (she _knows_ JARVIS isn't in there, but she feels weird without looking _somewhere_ to talk to him), she asks, "JARVIS, where's Bruce?"

"Dr. Banner is speaking to Mr. Rogers in the 67th floor living room, Ms. Lewis. Would you like me to tell him that you are looking for him?"

"No, that's okay. Don't interrupt them. But, uh, do they seem okay?"

"They are conducting a civil conversation, and neither one seems agitated."

"That's good, thanks. I'll just wait 'til they're done."

"Of course. Would you like me to alert you when one of them leaves the room?"

"That sounds great, thanks, JARVIS."

"You're welcome, Ms. Lewis."

With that taken care of, she goes back into her room and checks her email again.

Her advisor has responded to her email, and he says that she's all clear for her fall classes and that her internship credit has been put into the system. She has been _worried_ about that, because without her there to remind Jane to do normal human things like sleep and eat, Jane might not have moved from her spot in front of the computer console, much less actually recorded that Darcy had indeed completed her internship.

Of course, registering Darcy's credit probably wouldn't require moving, just remembering. Or seeing one of the approximately eleven post-its Darcy had left at various places in Jane's lab area.

But apparently Jane has been prodded into recording the credit, somehow, so Darcy takes a moment to be pleased with that before checking her fall schedule and finishing up registration.

She's due to leave for school in a few days, and she wants to make sure that she's not heading down to Virginia for nothing if things aren't taken care of properly.

Now everything is, though, so she bustles around, picking up some of her crap that she's strewn all over the place.

And as much as she's not looking forward to returning to school, after the stress and bustle of being the Avengers' PR rep and setting up interviews and trying to make the public believe that neither Loki nor Bruce were bad guys, going back to class should be relatively relaxing.

She'll need to do laundry before she leaves, for sure, she notes, but just as she's collecting up her dirty clothes to start making a half-assed attempt at that, JARVIS says, "Ms. Lewis, Dr. Banner is leaving the living room and appears to be returning to his room."

"Okay, I'll head up there to meet him, thanks, JARVIS."

Her laundry can wait. Honestly she's glad for the excuse to not have to deal with it right now.

Taking the stairs up to Bruce's room, she knocks on the closed door before pushing it open and going inside, not waiting for his response.

He's in there, sitting on the couch, turning the container of blue liquid over in his hands.

She drops down next to him and takes a moment to assess him; he seems calmer, more settled, now.

"Everything okay, doc?"

He gives his usual answer. "Yeah, Darce, I'm fine."

She'll have to drag it out of him then. Rolling her eyes and crossing her legs, "How was talking to Steve?"

"Oh, it was fine. Actually, I, uh, made a decision, and he thinks it's a good one."

"Well?"

"I'm going to destroy this stuff. I know how to do it safely, and I don't have any real reason to keep it around. It'll only be bad to hang onto it. What if someone hears about it and tries to steal it? Like Ross?"

That seems like a rhetorical question, so Darcy ignores it, "You sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, what do I need with this? I'm not gonna make more, and I'm stable, Hulk's stable. Steve says he'll go along with whatever I decide, but I think he thinks it's the better idea."

"As long as you're sure. You gonna do that today?"

"Guess so. Why wait?"

"Awesome. If you're happy, I'm happy. Um, Bruce, you know Loki doesn't like distressing other people, and you could have been nicer to him. Maybe you should go apologize?"

He frowns, "Did I upset him? I didn't mean to."

Darcy kicks him lightly, "Did I just kick you? Oops, that was an accident."

Laughing, he says, "Okay, I get your point. I can apologize. Hell, I should probably explain why I'm gonna get rid of this stuff anyway, don't want him to think he's created a problem. And does he even know what it is?"

"I didn't tell him, if that's what you're asking. And yeah, Loki's all about not making waves."

"I can understand that."

"Okay, why don't you go talk to him and then go destroy this stuff. I'm assuming you're going to need to use some of Tony's equipment?"

"Probably," he stands up and takes the folded diagram off the table. "I'll let him know, if JARVIS hasn't already."

"You want me to come with you to talk to Loki?"

"Sure, if you want to."

"I don't have anything better to do except laundry."

Playing along, he makes a face, "Laundry. Gross."

"I know. But it's gotta be done."

They take the stairs down to Loki's room and Bruce knocks on the door and then steps back, shuffling his feet a little.

"Yes?" Loki answers the door. Darcy hangs back a little, enough to hear their conversation but so it doesn't seem like she's forcing Bruce to say sorry or anything like that.

"Um, hi, Loki. I wanted to apologize, I didn't mean to upset you earlier or seem ungrateful or anything."

"I am fine, but thank you for your concern."

"And I wanted to explain, I'm going to destroy this stuff that you found. There's no reason for me to keep it around, it'll only be a bad thing."

Loki inclines his head, "If that is what you want. But what _is_ it, anyway?"

Bruce pauses to gather himself, before starting,"You know I was kind of, uh, made into the Hulk, right?"

Loki nods.

"Well, this blue stuff is the chemical formula that altered the structure of my DNA, making me, well, more than human. The supersoldier serum. And the picture is the design for the machine that injected the serum into me. Does that make sense?" He seems genuinely concerned about Loki's understanding.

"It does, I believe. If someone else came into possession of these items, they could potentially create another Hulk?"

"That's right. And that would be a bad thing. Hulk, _my_ Hulk, anyway, was a part of me long before he got all big and green."

Darcy doesn't think that quite makes sense to Loki, but he nods like he understands all the same.

"So I'm going to make sure that's not an option," Bruce clarifies. "Uh, do you think I could ask you something? Um, without anyone on Asgard seeing?"

Taken slightly aback, Loki nonetheless bows his head and does...something, Darcy's not sure what.

"We are shielded from their knowledge now."

"I think that I might be ready to go meet your parents now. With Thor. You think that's possible, or would I have to wait until he comes back and gets ready to go again?"

Loki takes a moment to think that over, then nods to himself, "I can take you."

"No, Loki, you don't have to do that. I know you didn't want to go back with Thor, you were worried it would set you back in your recovery. And I don't want to do that. To hurt you."

"If you are ready to go meet my parents, then I can certainly accompany you. I was simply being overly cautious."

"Are you sure, Loki? I really don't want to make things worse for you."

"You will not be, please do not worry. I merely did not want to observe part of what I believe my brother's business will entail, but if we do not leave for a short period of time, perhaps on the same day that Darcy returns to her school, then that should no longer be a worry."

That's the longest speech Darcy's heard out of Loki, and he makes a good point. Even if they're going to get to go have fun on Asgard while she has to go back to Culver. Which is not cool. Damn school.

Bruce looks grateful, "If you're sure, Loki. Uh, how will we get to Asgard without the Tesseract?"

A devious smile spreads across Loki's face, "I have my ways. We will leave the same day that Darcy departs?"

"As long as it's okay with the others, yeah. Thanks, Loki."

"There is little I would not do for my family."

And isn't that great? They're _family_. Bruce and Loki give each other a quick hug, and then Bruce steps out of the doorway and Loki closes the door.

Darcy trails Bruce down the hall as he mutters to himself under his breath, and takes a moment to hate her choice to go back to school before she locks that down, squaring her shoulders and lifting her head.

She's going to be mature about this, goddamnit.

* * *

**What do you think about Darcy?**


	3. Long Way Around

**A huge thank you to my beta, dysprositos, for listening to me whine about this chapter and reassuring me that it's not terrible.**

* * *

A few days after he informed Bruce that he would take him to Asgard to see Thor and meet their parents—as Bruce had abruptly decided he was ready for that—Loki finds himself completing his packing of a small bag and advising Bruce about what to take in his, his protection from the Æsirs' eyes still in place so that their planned visit cannot be detected. Loki does love a good surprise, but they do need to get moving soon, or else there will be cause for suspicion.

He had already told Bruce that any electronic devices would be rendered useless in Asgard, so bringing them would be unnecessary. Also, he wouldn't need to bring much clothing, as Loki would be able to alter some of his garments to fit Bruce, and he would be expected to wear Æsir clothes.

Now he advises, "Wear comfortable shoes for walking, as we will be traveling quite a distance on foot."

Looking down at his feet, Bruce confirms that he believes his shoes will be suitable, then asks, "Are you sure about this, Loki?" It feels as though Loki has heard that question a thousand times in the past few days—an expression he had picked up from Darcy.

"I am, Bruce. Please do not worry about me." Loki does his best to be reassuring, but truthfully he too is experiencing worry when he thinks about his upcoming trip.

They finish gathering their things in silence, and then place their bags by the door of Bruce's room.

The team is having breakfast together, and then all three people leaving today will depart; Darcy is returning to her school and Loki and Bruce are of course going to Asgard.

Going downstairs to the common floor, they encounter Darcy on the way and she smiles brightly at the two of them (more jovial than she usually is in the morning; she too is probably worried and attempting to hide it), putting an arm around Bruce for an awkward embrace as they continue to move down the stairs.

When they have reached the sixty-seventh floor and begun heading into the dining room, Darcy asks, "Can I hug you too, Loki?"

He has no reason to decline, has in fact not been embraced since Thor departed several days prior, so he stoops slightly to accommodate Darcy's shorter stature and opens his arms, intending to return the hug.

Darcy tucks her head into his chest and wraps her arms around him, and it is a pleasurable experience, to be certain. Loki has not often been embraced by people other than members of his family, but he does like Darcy. And her hug does not push any of his carefully established barriers.

They break apart a moment later and go into breakfast. Tony has apparently ordered pastries from the same bakery as he had the morning that Thor departed. This time, knowing more of what he is to expect on Asgard, Loki is able to enjoy their taste, whereas on the morning that Thor left, Loki had been too nervous to pay much mind to what he was eating. Today, it is Bruce who consumes little, looking vaguely nauseated at the prospect.

When they have finished their breakfast, Loki shakes hands with most of his friends; Tony, Steve, Clint. Steve had initially been anxious about letting Loki and Bruce go to Asgard, worrying about what would happen if the Avengers were to be needed on Earth during that time, as their numbers would be reduced from their usual fighting force of seven down to four.

But Loki had reassured him that with the Tesseract, he, Bruce, and Thor would be able to return almost instantly if they were needed on Earth and that Heimdall will be watching for any signs of distress, and Steve had said that he is glad for Bruce to have the opportunity to meet his boyfriend's parents, his smile a little wistful.

Today, he smiles at Bruce and Loki, standing close to Clint.

Natasha reaches over to clasp forearms with Loki, shaking Bruce's hand. She will be driving down to Darcy's school with Darcy today, and Darcy looks at Bruce and Loki, "Want me to come see you off?"

Truthfully, Loki would prefer to not have any other eyes on him when he is working the teleportation spell that will take them to the far Northern reaches of Earth, where one of the hidden paths into Asgard is located.

Fortunately, he does not have to express his displeasure (which he would prefer to keep quiet; magic is still such a 'wild card' on Earth, and Loki prefers to 'fit in' as much as possible) because Bruce is saying, "No, Darce, you've got a drive ahead of you, better get started now so you're there at a reasonable time."

"Okay," she replies, hugging Bruce tightly and turning to Loki. "Be safe, and have fun, both of you!"

"Good luck with your schooling," Loki offers politely, not knowing the accepted Midgardian response to this situation.

It seems acceptable, though, as Bruce's response is similar, "Yeah, good luck, Darce. I'll email you when we get back, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan. See you soon, I hope." She turns to Natasha, the two of them going to leave the room after a parting kiss for Natasha from Tony. Loki hears Darcy ask, "Can I drive?" but does not hear Natasha's answer.

"You two are all set?" Steve inquires.

"I believe we are, thank you, Steve."

"Have a safe trip, and make sure that you keep an eye on things here, okay?"

"We will," Loki confirms, and then he looks to Bruce, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Bye, everyone."

Together, they walk out of the room and collect their bags from Bruce's room where they had left them earlier. Loki likes that Bruce does not try to talk to him constantly, but seems to be as comfortable with silence as Loki is.

Then they take the elevator to the roof, where Loki slings his bag over his shoulder and indicates for Bruce to do the same. Once that is completed, he warns Bruce, "I must take your arm. You may feel some slight discomfort as we move, but that is normal. Please do not struggle; it is imperative that we remain connected."

Bruce nods, a determined look on his face, and offers his arm to Loki, who grasps it tightly, bowing his head and tapping into the core of magic within himself, enunciating the incantation clearly.

The spell requires a moment to work as it usually does, and Loki surveys the area around him as he waits, an old habit borne by often needing to exit hostile situations. Here, there is no hostility, but he does notice the swivel of a camera mounted on the corner of a structure on the roof. It is probably controlled by Tony's AI, which means that Tony will see this departure as well.

Perhaps by the time they return, Tony will have even managed to duplicate the procedure, although Loki doubts it. His technology is advanced, yes, but not that much so.

And then he cannot take any more time to worry himself with that because there is a bright flash and they are gone, moving through a swirl of color until they land, stumbling slightly; Bruce because he is unused to this mode of transport, Loki because the spell requires quite a bit of his energy to complete.

It is cold, and Loki catches himself and throws up a shield instinctively, working to insert a current of heat under his skin and then Bruce's.

"It tickles," his companion observes, rubbing at his arm awkwardly.

"We will not be here for long, do not worry. There should be a cave in that direction," Loki points, "and the path we seek is inside it."

Belatedly, he realizes that he is still holding Bruce's arm, and releases it, adjusting his bag and leading the way.

Ice is thick on the ground, and even though the landscape is somewhat similar to that of Jötunn, Loki feels no kinship here in this alien place, just a strong desire to escape the chill.

After walking for a few minutes, they arrive at the cave Loki remembers from a few adolescent trips to Earth before the lack of challenge the realm presented led him to slip into others instead.

It is much as he remembers it, and he leads Bruce inside and to the back, to the wall that faintly shimmers with old magicks.

Loki locates and presses the rune which will open the passageway and steps inside, beckoning to Bruce to follow him.

Once they are securely inside, Loki seals the entrance behind them and catches up to Bruce, who is walking slowly and gaping at the chamber they are in.

The beauty of it is no longer a fascination to Loki, but he understands what it is like to experience inter-realm travel for the first time, and so he bends down and pretends to adjust his shoe in order to give Bruce a minute to look around.

But they do need to move quickly; there is no telling who else makes use of these passages. It is almost certainly not anybody friendly.

Standing and gently taking Bruce's arm, Loki states, "We should begin our walk."

"Oh, okay."

There is only one way forward, and Bruce starts that in that direction with Loki close behind him. They walk in silence for a long while until the fork in the road appears and Bruce looks to Loki, "Which one is it?"

"The one on the left leads into Álfheimr, so we should take the one on the right."

Bruce obligingly turns to the right and attempts to imitate Loki's pronunciation, "Álfheimr?"

It is a good effort, though if Loki did not know what Bruce was attempting to ask, he would not have understood the question.

"Álfheimr is the realm of the Light Elves. They do not traffic much with Asgard, but relations are satisfactory between the two."

"That's good, I guess."

"It is."

And they continue on down the path until they are close to Asgard, as indicated by the notations on the walls left by previous travelers.

There, Loki halts Bruce and states, "We will soon become visible to Heimdall and other Asgardians, as my protection on Earth was just that, only for cover on that realm. I can cloak us, if you would prefer. Or we can chance Thor being informed of our visit."

"Uh, is it too much work for you to do the cloaking thing?" Bruce seems boyishly hopeful.

"I had hoped that would be your answer," Loki grins. "No, it is not too much work at all, Bruce."

He bows his head and weaves the fabric of the spell, smiling as it takes effect and the air around them gains a barely perceptible ripple.

"It's done?" Bruce questions, looking around curiously.

"It is," Loki replies and begins to walk again.

Soon, he is opening the small, unobtrusive door with its beautiful arches into Asgard cautiously, checking for anybody about who might notice their entrance.

There is no one, and Loki steps through the high doorway and gives Bruce a hand over (he has observed Bruce's penchant for tripping).

"Come," he murmurs, and leads the way to a little used corridor towards his rooms.

They fortunately do not encounter anybody along the way, and Loki checks down the hallway quickly to ensure that nobody will observe the door of his rooms opening and closing seemingly on its own before turning the handle and beckoning Bruce inside, leading him into his bedroom where the protective magicks are strongest.

"You may leave your bag in here; you can retrieve it before you retire with Thor for the evening."

"Your parents are gonna be cool with that? I mean, most parents wouldn't be at all; I had to get a motel room the few times I went home with Betty."

Betty was Bruce's partner before he had what he calls 'the accident,' Loki knows. "Ah, but we are no longer on Midgard," Loki chides lightly, crossing to his wardrobe and removing clothing for the two of them.

He continues, handing Bruce a set of garments, "You can step through there and change clothes; I will make the necessary alterations after that."

"Thanks, Loki. I really mean that. You don't have to be doing any of this, you know."

"I do know, but Bruce, I do enjoy a good surprise. And I cannot wait to see the look on Thor's face. That will be reward enough."

"If you say so," Bruce still sounds skeptical, but he takes the offered clothing and disappears into the other room.

Loki takes the time to get changed himself, and has to take in his own clothing around the middle slightly; he has yet to gain back all of the weight he lost as a prisoner.

But now is not about him, but Bruce and Thor, so he simply smoothes a hand down his front and waits for Bruce, who comes out a moment later, walking carefully around the too-long pants, his hands hidden by his over-long shirtsleeves.

Loki smiles a little at the picture Bruce presents, but goes over and prepares to get to work.

It takes a moment and some careful concentration, but the outfit soon fits Bruce as though it was tailored for him (and in a way, it was).

Bruce pulls at his sleeves nervously as Loki slicks his hair back from the 'less greasy' (as Darcy had said, waving a hairbrush at him threateningly) hairstyle he had adopted on Earth into the more severe one that he wears on Asgard. There is no need to overwhelm his parents (although he is thinking more of his mother) with changes so soon, when the last time she saw him, he was not speaking and quite traumatized.

He is still not fully recovered, and the materials he read on Earth that dealt with similar cases to his suggested that he may perhaps never be. But he is much improved, and he does not think that returning to Asgard will impede his continued recovery. And if it does, then he can manage.

"It will be fine, Bruce," Loki attempts to reassure. "Thor should be with my parents now, let us go and surprise them."

"How do you know that?"

"Because we usually spend time with our parents during the lunch hour, if there is nothing more pressing to attend to. I do not notice anything out of the ordinary here, so that is most likely where Thor is at this time."

"What if he isn't?"

"Then we will find him." Loki understands that meeting the parents of one's 'boyfriend' must be nerve wracking, especially when they are the king and queen of another realm, so he tries to be sympathetic.

Trying for a kind smile, he says, "Come, we will not accomplish anything hiding in here."

Bruce's chin comes up, "You're right."

_I usually am_.

They slip from Loki's room, closing the door behind them, and Loki takes the lead to show Bruce to his parents' sitting room.

There, he quickly concocts a distraction so that the two guards outside look away and he and Bruce are able to go inside with no one the wiser.

The antechamber is deserted, and Loki shows Bruce where to walk so that their footsteps are muffled (he could take care of that with a spell, but that would mean that lifting the invisibility spell would be all the more challenging and time-consuming, and he wants to do it quickly for maximum dramatic effect).

Indeed, Thor is present and eating lunch with his parents. _Our parents_, Loki sternly corrects himself, seeing Odin within the room. They had not parted on the...best of terms the last two times they had met, and he hopes that this visit will help to repair those damages.

But his family is alone, and Loki nudges Bruce to stand straight before dropping the spell directly in Thor's line of sight. He is rewarded with an extremely silly look on Thor's face before he is pushing his chair back from the table; their parents look over to see what attracted his attention and startle, both looking pleased. At least as pleased as Odin ever looks.

"Bruce! Brother!" Thor stands up and rushes over, arms outstretched. Loki carefully steps to the side, away from Bruce, so that Thor's choice of whom to embrace first is made for him.

Bruce is smiling and he allows himself to be swept up into a hug from Thor as Frigga hurries across the room to give Loki an embrace.

He obediently wraps his arms around her. "Hello, Mother."

"Oh, Loki. It is so good to see you." She pulls back and takes his shoulders, looking him up and down. "You do need to gain some weight. I will talk to the cooks about that."

"Mother," Loki complains, more for show than anything else. He cannot deny that he is pleased to see her.

Next to them, Thor is speaking lowly to Bruce, "Why are you here? Not that I am not glad to see you, of course, but what changed your mind?"

"You remember the stuff you and Natasha found in the box of files and she told you to hide?"

"...I suppose."

"Well, you hid them, and Loki found the diagram and serum after you'd left. So I talked things over with Darcy and Steve and destroyed those so that they can't fall into the wrong person's hands. I guess Betty thought I could use them, but I don't need them. I'm happy where I am. And that made me realize that I missed you and that I thought I was ready to, um, meet your mom and dad. So I asked Loki, and he said he'd bring me."

"I am sorry that I concealed those from you. Truthfully, I did forget about them. I am _so glad_ to see you, Bruce."

"It's fine, Thor. Really. And me too."

"I am glad to hear that."

And then Frigga breaks in gently with an, "I suppose this is your Bruce, Thor."

Thor turns to her, beaming, and takes Bruce's hand. "He is."

"Um, hello," Bruce says, bowing his head slightly.

Loki probably should have addressed the proper decorum to use when meeting his parents with Bruce, because as Thor's partner and a non-Æsir, Bruce does not need to do anything except show his parents the proper respect. But he seems to be doing that on his own without any prompting.

Frigga handles the situation beautifully, as usual, doing her best to negate Bruce's nervousness. "Welcome, Bruce. Thor has been telling us so much about you that I feel as though I know you already."

"Nothing too terrible, I hope," Bruce starts to offer his hand to shake but seems to think better of it. As amusing as this is, the poor man is probably quite embarrassed, so Loki nudges Thor, shooting him a significant look.

Accordingly, Thor steps to the side and allows Frigga to sweep in and wrap Bruce in a hug as she has clearly been wanting to do, "Oh no, he has only been saying wonderful things, dear. I am so glad that you decided to come."

"Thank you. And thank you for having me."

"You are most welcome, dear. Odin, come over and say hello."

Loki's father had risen when Loki had revealed the two of them, but he kept his distance, probably out of deference for Loki. Considering that Odin had dismissed Loki the last time they had spoken, and that Loki had not wanted to be anywhere near Odin when he had returned from his ordeal with the Chitauri, that is probably a wise move on Odin's part, if a cautious one.

"Hello, Father. I am glad to see you," Loki attempts to convey that he is not going to be bothered by his father's proximity. Not now, at least.

"Welcome home, Loki," Odin states calmly, approaching their group. "I am glad to meet you, Bruce."

"You too, sir."

"Have you eaten lunch yet? Come sit with us," Frigga loops an arm through Bruce's and draws him toward the table, Thor following close behind. As she passes his father, Loki almost certain that she elbows him, but surely that is too undignified for his mother.

Nevertheless, Odin does come closer to Loki. "You look well, son."

"I believe Midgard has been good for me, Father. Thank you."

"I have been checking on you periodically, and you seem to have found your niche."

"Having few expectations to meet can be liberating," Loki cannot help but respond.

"Indeed. Shall we eat?"

_Well. He must have changed some, to not respond to such a pointed insult. But he did start it, by implying that I do not belong on Asgard._

Loki and Odin join the others at the table, Odin at the head and Loki next to Frigga. She is quizzing Bruce about himself, and he is managing to respond politely but looking longingly at the food on his plate.

They have been traveling for most of the morning, and Loki knows that Bruce must be hungry (after only picking at his breakfast), so he rests a hand on his mother's arm to draw her attention to him.

"What have you been doing in our absence?"

Bruce gives Loki a grateful look and begins to eat rapidly as Frigga launches into an explanation of their new projects, which seem to be reconstructing the Bifrost and expanding the training grounds.

Sif is in charge of overseeing the expansion, and Loki asks about her in between bites (he too is famished).

She has always been his favorite of Thor's friends, after all.

Frigga seems to notice the way Bruce is eating, and continues to conduct most of the conversation by herself, requiring only an occasional nod or short answer from her listeners.

When they have finished eating, she suggests, "Thor, Loki, you should show Bruce around for a bit. And remember, Thor, we do have that function later."

Thor looks at Bruce, and Frigga responds to that, "Of course you may bring Bruce."

"Thank you, Mother. Come, Bruce, Loki."

"It was good to meet you, sir, ma'am."

"I am glad to be here, Mother, Father." Loki carefully does not refer to Asgard as home, and he sees a small frown make its way onto his mother's face.

Bruce collects his bag from Loki's rooms and moves it to Thor's, although he does question the appropriateness of that.

Loki has to laugh at that, and Thor explains, "You will hardly be the first person to visit my rooms, although you are the first one with whom I have shared such a commitment."

"Ah."

And then they show Bruce around the palace until Thor announces that it is time to attend the function.

"What function, exactly?" Loki asks, curiously about the lack of specificity Thor and his mother have been using.

"We are hosting the Jötunn ambassador," Thor explains.

That is why they were being so careful then. Loki knows he must tread carefully here; nearly committing genocide was _not_ a good decision at all, is in fact one he deeply regrets. One he will be making amends for during the duration of his life.

"Am I welcome?"

"Of course you are, Loki. That would probably be a good thing, actually. Hey, would you like to take my place with our parents? I can sit with Bruce and explain what is going on that way."

"Are you sure it would not be an issue?"

"As long as you are not above apologizing profusely, I cannot see where it would be."

And that is how Loki finds himself presiding with his parents, welcoming the Jötunn ambassador and his retinue, apologizing for his misguided actions, and offering his most sincere wishes that the negotiations between the two realms are successful.

It is quite different from his life on Earth, but he finds himself, improbably, enjoying himself.

* * *

**A good deal of the magic shit is influenced by Tamora Pierce's _fantastic_ Tortall series, which are some of my favorite books.**

**Thanks for reading! ****Thoughts?**


	4. Questions and Answers

**An enormous thank you to my fan-fucking-tastic beta, dysprositos, for continuing to be excellent and vastly helpful.**

**And we kind of were already, but this chapter just makes it official; we're AU! I also got to use the word 'arcane,' so my life's pretty much complete now.**

**Warning for mentions of canonical violence.**

* * *

Almost three weeks after he and Bruce arrived on Asgard (time passes more quickly here than on Midgard, at almost twice the rate, actually), Loki has begun to settle quite well into his old life, though with several notable changes.

For one, he has taken on most of Thor's duties, beginning with meeting with the Jötunn ambassador and picking up from there. Thor has wanted to spend most of his time with Bruce, and Loki does not mind the extra work; it gives him something to occupy his time, as he does not have anyone to spend his days with. Besides, he has always been better at things like diplomacy and such, whereas Thor prefers to spend his days outside.

Loki does not allow these duties to dominate all of his hours, and he takes time to slip down to the kitchens and assist the cooks and their helpers. Loki finds several practical uses for spells he had previously memorized under his tutors without any real idea of their usage, and after he has made several visits, one of the cooks is brave enough to set him to dishwashing, watching him as if she expects him to storm out at the mere suggestion of menial labor. He does not. In fact, he rolls up his sleeves and goes right to work, and now there is usually a task waiting for him when he makes his way downstairs.

In the evenings, though, instead of spending time in the main halls with the warriors who will doubtless mock him for his physical differences and usage of magic, he puts those skills to work, researching solutions to prevent anyone from attempting to make use of the Bifrost for nefarious purposes (and kitchen spells).

Of course, his solution (if he does find one) is almost certain to be carefully scrutinized, as suspicion has not entirely left him after what he had attempted to do to his own race.

And he is going to be closely scrutinized in general. Word of his recent ordeal at the hands of the Chitauri had certainly spread far and wide, and although it may seem, at a glance, that he is completely recovered from his ordeal, he is not. He often wakes up due to nightmares, and finds himself reluctant to leave the palace alone. But he puts a good face on, unwilling to show weakness when he knows that he is being so closely observed.

Both his parents solicit his opinion; his mother usually with an area of magic more specialized to he than she (although Loki suspects she is mostly doing that as a means of building up his self-confidence—she has little need to learn these arcane areas now if she has not in the past), and his father has begun to consult him on matters of policy. Loki believes this is due to Thor's interference, but despite the fact that he and Odin have yet to speak of any difficult subjects, he has found himself beginning to enjoy their time spent together—and what is more, Odin seems to be listening to his opinion and suggestions.

With the exception of the first evening that Bruce had been on Asgard, when, after the function for the Jötunn ambassador, he and Thor had gone off for a discussion and come back rather somber, Bruce and Thor seem to be getting along better than ever. Loki has caught his mother simply looking at the two of them with the most pleased expression on her face, as though she is glad to see Thor settling down with such a wonderful person.

Now, though, Loki sees little of Bruce and Thor except at mealtimes. Thor has been busy showing Bruce all that Asgard has to offer (although on the one occasion Loki and Bruce were alone together; Bruce had confided that he is not as interested in Asgard as he is in Thor, and he is mostly going along and "playing the tourist" because it makes Thor happy; he would be just as happy back on Earth as he is here—but of course he was quick to add that Loki's parents are lovely and he is very glad to meet them).

Consequently, Loki sees little of Thor's friends, which pleases him. An exception is the Lady Sif, who has been to visit several times seeking Loki's opinion on some aspects of her pet project—enlarging the training grounds. They have enjoyed pleasant conversation and Loki has been quite glad to see her. She knows better than to touch on awkward subjects, and Loki appreciates that.

Falling into a routine here is almost dangerously easy, and Loki despairs at the thought of them remaining here indefinitely. As much as he is enjoying this updated version of Asgard, Earth is where Loki feels he belongs.

A messenger arrives to summon Loki to Odin's presence, and as he closes the book he has been reading, marking his place, he resolves to mention his wish to return to Earth to his father. It is high time they spoke of something other than inter-realm politics and various improvements being made around Asgard.

Loki dismisses the runner and makes his own way to his father's library.

Knocking, he waits for permission to enter. "Come," he hears.

"Good afternoon, Father. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, take a seat, Loki."

Loki sits where Odin indicates and waits. His father usually prefers to broach subjects in his own time, without prompting, and that is a concession Loki does not mind making to ensure that they are able to get along.

After shuffling through the papers on his desk for a minute, Odin begins to describe the new treaty his ministers have been formulating with the Jötunn, listing its main points and what he hopes to accomplish. Loki listens attentively, unsure where his father is going with this. He has heard most of this before, after all.

Once he has finished his recitation, Odin enlightens Loki. "I want you to go with the delegation to Jötunheimr for the signing of the treaty; it should be completed within the week. You have been attending some of the sessions of the treaty writers, and frankly, neither you nor Thor has the best history with the Jötunn, although you have both done your best to make up for that. At the moment, Thor is quite occupied with his partner, and I do not think Bruce would fare well with a trip to Jötunheimr, nor would Thor be easily convinced to leave him."

Ah, this is _still _largely about Thor, even after all this time. Somehow, that surprises Loki little.

"Do I have no choice in the matter?" Best to start with a simpler issue and work his way up to the blatant favoritism Odin has just expressed, because although Odin did mention that Loki was more qualified for the job, he still speaks as if he would prefer that Thor go.

"You do, but if you refuse, I will have to compel someone to go in your place."

"That sounds rather like a threat, Father."

"I did not intend it as such."

"I cannot know whether you did or not, but that is of little consequence. I do not believe that Thor would be better suited for this task than I; as you have said, I have been the one paying mind to the treaty's formation, not he. But it appears that the main reason you want me to travel is so that Thor does not have to. Forgive me, but that smacks of favoritism."

"You would not be complaining if it were in your favor," Odin snarls, and then raises a hand to halt the retort Loki is about to make. "I apologize; that was uncalled for."

"I agree." Loki's voice is icy.

"You are my first choice to go, not Thor, and I went about expressing that wrongly. You are my son, Loki, and I do love you. You have made terrible mistakes—"

"Which I can never escape; I know this, Father," Loki interrupts. He understands that he has made grave errors and will be attempting to make amends for them until the day his life ends, but to have that thrown in his face by Odin of all people is unacceptable.

Odin continues as if Loki had not spoken, "And you will be making up for them for the rest of your days, yes, but so has Thor. You two are both my sons, and I have not done right by either of you. I neglected you and empowered Thor, but this was to his detriment as well. Nearly giving him the crown was one of the worst things I have done. Bringing you home was one of the best things I have done."

Loki has never heard any such sentiment from his father, and he finds it hard to believe, despite the near-desperate sincerity on Odin's face.

"I did treat Thor better than I did you, but reversing this is not simple. I cannot merely oust Thor and favor you, nor can I learn to treat my sons in the same manner overnight. That is the truth, Loki. I am trying to improve, but I am old and set in my ways, and it is hard for me. I am not omniscient, and I make mistakes, son." He pauses for breath, then continues, "I have said my piece; what say you to that?"

"I am gratified to hear you admit your error in your previous treatment of me." Loki speaks slowly, carefully. Odin is still making excuses for his behavior and not accepting full responsibility for what he has done, but Loki does not think he can expect anything more from his father at this time. As he has said, Odin is old and used to doing things a certain way.

"However, that does not make things right, and I hope you understand that."

Odin nods.

"I am trying to not act like a spoiled child, but I do not know how to make myself clear to you any other way. I feel that we both have some learning to do about each other."

"You are correct."

"You and I need to learn to communicate better, but I do not wish to remain on Asgard indefinitely in order to do this. I will not rule out an extended visit in future, but for now," his next words surprise even himself, "I will travel to Jötunheimr with the treaty delegation and then return to Midgard when that task is complete. Hopefully, Thor and Bruce will be coming with me, but if they would rather remain here; I will depart alone."

Loki is not sure when he made up his mind to do as his father wishes and go to Jötunheimr, but he knows that it is the right decision. He is proving to himself that he is sufficiently capable of doing this, revisiting old wounds, and proving to Odin that he can handle his responsibilities.

"I would appreciate if you would tell your mother of your wishes, but I agree. I will notify the Jötunn delegation of your attendance and prepare a retinue of attendants for you."

"As small as possible, please. I do not wish to alarm the Jötunn, as my very presence probably will. And I will notify Mother."

"Good."

"Thank you for having this discussion with me, Father."

"Thank _you_ for listening to me, Loki."

Loki inclines his head respectfully after rising from his chair and leaves the room, lost in thought.

* * *

"_Loki, what are you doing here?" his mother had hissed as he took the seat Thor had directed him to in the chamber where the Æsir would be receiving the Jötunn ambassador._

"_I am taking Thor's place; he said it was acceptable." That was an understatement, but Loki did not feel that he was wholly worthy of the praise Thor lavished on him._

_On her other side, Odin leaned forward so that he could make eye contact with Loki. "Behave, Loki. I will not have this ruined."_

_That _stung_, but Loki maintained a calm face. "Yes, Father. __Of course.__"_

_Frigga straightened in her seat as the doors swung open, and Loki followed suit._

_The ambassador entered with a few attendants, and he bowed before Asgard's monarchs before catching sight of Loki and drawing himself up, a protest on his lips, or worse._

_Rather than give him the chance (and be forced to listen to yet more vitriol about himself), Loki rose and spoke smoothly, "Sir, I beg the chance to apologize for my actions against your race."_

_The ambassador nodded stiffly, and Loki continued, "I made a grave error in attempting to exterminate your people. It was a matter in no way related to you, but I made it so. As such, I feel you are due an explanation."_

_In the gallery, Thor looked up and met Loki's eyes. The warmth in Thor's eyes__,__ and Bruce's, next to him, gave Loki the strength to admit, "You see, I am a Jötunn, adopted from your realm by Their Majesties. __When I brought __unprovoked __violence upon your realm,__ I had just learned the truth about my heritage, and I thought that by wiping the Jötunn from the Nine Realms," harsh wording,__ but true__; Loki did not feel that the Jötunn would appreciate him glossing over the issue, "I could make myself become a true son of Asgard__, as my previous ill-guided attempt had failed__. I was tremendously wrong __on both occasions__, and I apologize for that. I was severely punished for my actions__, though not on Asgard__, and I have learned the error of my ways. It is my sincerest wish that these talks succeed, and that there is peace between Asgard and Jötunheimr."_

"_We had not realized that there were any Jötunn living on Asgard," the ambassador had replied after a brief consultation with the others in his party. "This comes as quite a shock to us. Do you know your parentage?"_

_Loki noted that he spoke directly to __him__ and not to Odin._

"_I do. I am of Laufey's line."_

_At the name, the ambassador was clearly shocked. Loki knew that he had not been successful in killing Laufey in Odin's chambers that day, and that the Frost Giant king had been brought back to his home realm to recover, but Loki had received no news beyond that and had not asked._

_Until now, that is. "__This is a most uncalled for inquiry and I will understand if you refuse to answer, but h__ow is your king?"__  
_

_The ambassador did respond, albeit hesitantly. __"He still recovers, but Jötunheimr is as strong as ever."_

"_I am sure. You are a mighty race." Loki did not dare to be so presumptuous as to include himself in that statement._

"_I thank you." __A__nd __then__ the ambassador changed the subject to beginning the negotiations about the treaty. Loki was attentive, but inside, he was reeling._

These_ were the 'creatures' his nursemaids had told him terrible tales of? The Jötunn of__ Asgard's__ stories were animals, barbaric and incapable of reason. It was enough to give one a superiority complex after hearing that you were indeed one of those terrible creatures, but you had managed to rise above the limitations of your race__.__ Loki suspected that was how the Chitauri imposter had attempted to portray him, as a swaggering, prideful lout._

_But the ambassador was the opposite of what he had been told. __Indeed, n__one of his party had moved as if they wanted to take their scant weapons in hand or create their characteristic daggers of ice, and they had treated Loki with the courtesy with which he had previously disdained to show them._

_If for no other reason than that, Loki wanted the talks to succeed._

_Afterwards, when the ambassador had been taken to a chamber specially prepared to resemble his home realm, with comfortable temperatures (magicks woven by Frigga __herself__—an honor), Loki prepared himself to face Odin's wrath._

_He had spoken out of turn, after all__.__H__e knew that he had done the right thing__, though,__ and was prepared to face punishment for it._

_Surprisingly, Odin had retired early that evening and it was Frigga who confronted him about it, albeit _not _in the manner Loki was expecting._

_She swept him in close for a hug, and told him forcefully how proud of him she was. Loki believed her, too._

_And then there had not been another word spoken about it; when Loki slipped into the room where Æsir ministers were busily negotiating with the Jötunn delegation __a few days later__, a space had been cleared for him at the table without comment and his few suggestions had been thoughtfully listened to._

* * *

As Loki has been contemplating the events that had led up to the request to travel to Jötunheimr, he has been walking without thinking about where his feet are taking him.

It is not until the ground changes color abruptly under his feet that he realizes that he has gone to the ruined Bifrost, to where Heimdall stands guard over its edge.

Loki usually visits about this time of day to inquire after his friends on Earth, and apparently he has come now without realizing.

"Greetings, Loki," Heimdall speaks, opening his eyes. He does not address Loki with the same respect with which he would speak to Loki's parents or even Thor, but Loki does not mind. He knows that he does not deserve it, not from this man. Not after what he had done. And although Loki is trying in every way he knows how to improve himself and his relations with others, he knows that for some, it will never be enough. It is a steep price to pay, but then his actions were drastic and deserve worse consequences than he received.

"Hello, Heimdall. Have you news of Earth?"

"There is nothing of significance to report. Your lady appears lonely at her institution, but your friends have faced no more significant danger than the mad scientist causing an explosion in his laboratory."

No matter what Loki says, he cannot convince Heimdall that Darcy is not 'his lady.' At least they will be able to have a good laugh about it when he returns to Earth and is able to speak to her again.

Tony—the 'mad scientist'—causing an explosion in his laboratory is troubling, and Loki asks, "Is anyone injured?"

"There appears to be no harm done, but the mad scientist's lady is not pleased with him."

"I imagine not. Thank you, Heimdall."

Heimdall nods and closes his eyes again; Loki turns around to quickly go back inside the palace. He is surprised that he was able to come outside without anxiety, and he hopes that bodes well for his mentality during his upcoming trip to Jötunheimr.

He usually reports the news of their friends to Thor and Bruce, so he heads to Thor's room, knowing that they normally rest there for some time before dinner.

Knocking loudly, Loki hears a yelled, "Just a minute!" from Thor, so he leans his back against the opposite wall to wait.

After a moment or two, Thor throws the door open and thrusts his head out. "Loki! Come in!"

He is visibly excited about something, and when Loki goes inside, shutting the door behind him, he finds Bruce in much the same condition.

"What is going on?" Loki questions, beginning to search for the source of this uncharacteristic outbreak of smiles.

Thor takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself, before responding, "Nothing, it's nothing. Oh, Bruce, I know we said we'd wait, but can I tell him?"

"Of course, Thor. He's your brother."

"Bruce has agreed to marry me!" Thor says all in one burst.

It takes a beat for Loki to sort out what he has heard before he is grinning and hugging Thor tightly. "Congratulations!"

It is Bruce's turn next, and Loki is careful to tell him, "I am so glad for you. Although why anyone would want to spend the rest of their days tied to this great oaf, I have no idea, but I do hope you will be happy."

"Hey!" Thor protests dimly, but Bruce is smiling.

"I think I can manage that. Thank you, Loki."

"Thank _you _for making my brother happy," Loki asserts.

"We are going to tell Mother and Father at dinner tonight, but we do not want to have the wedding right away. We want to go home to Earth for a while and tell all the others, and we will definitely have to wait until Darcy is finished with her semester and can attend."

"She will be pleased. As will Mother and Father."

"You think so?"

"I know so. And Thor, Bruce, I have some news of my own, although of much lesser importance. The Asgard-Jötunheimr treaty is expected to be completed within the week, and Father has asked me to accompany it to Jötunheimr for the signing. I have accepted."

"Are you sure, Loki?" Thor is concerned.

"I am."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"You are not invited, Thor. Besides, I am grown, I can handle this."

"As long as you will be okay."

"I will."

"Good. Now, what is the news from Heimdall?"

Loki sits down with his brothers to tell them, and he is happy.

* * *

"Darcy, are you coming to the party tonight?"

"No, I have to study," Darcy calls back.

"That's what you said _last_ time. You're such a spoilsport, would it kill you to have a little fun once in a while?"

That's definitely uncalled for, and Darcy rolls over and sticks her earbuds in her ears, trying to ignore her roommate. A few years ago, Darcy would have fit right in, here, but now things have changed. _She_ has changed.

And besides, she's supposed to Skype with Natasha tonight. Somehow the news of Darcy's position working for the Avengers has managed to go right over the heads of her schoolmates, and with only a couple months left until her degree, Darcy has no intention of changing that.

And being seen video-chatting with the Black Widow wouldn't help her keep a low profile.

Darcy manages to have a few minutes of relative peace, lying on her bed with her laptop open to an essay she's supposed to be working on, before her roommate, Jessica, comes and flops on her bed in the narrow space next to Darcy. Obligingly, Darcy hits 'pause.'

"The party's supposed to be great; there's gonna be a keg and everything. Are you sure you won't come?"

"No, Jess, I need to finish this paper. You know what a hardass Dr. Brown is."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Good luck with that."

"Have fun tonight, okay?" Darcy does hate conflict with Jessica, it means neither of them will be able to relax for a week, battle lines drawn down the middle of their dorm.

"I will. I'm going over to Becca's to get ready, so I'll be in late."

"I'll be here. Be careful."

"Sure, Darcy."

Jessica walks out of the room, and Darcy's left alone with a paper she couldn't care less about and her own thoughts.

God, she misses New York sometimes.

Reasonable people and her own space, and a schedule she could set. No 8 AM mornings (well, with a couple exceptions), and more options for dinner.

After being able to order takeout from pretty much anywhere in the city and her friends' excellent (most of the time, anyway) cooking, Darcy is pretty sick of the limited options that living on campus offers.

Ordering in pizza once a week just isn't the same.

And with Bruce still in Asgard, there's constantly a little part of Darcy's brain that's worrying about him.

With him and all the others, Darcy has a hard time overlooking the immaturity of most of her schoolmates. Going back to school for this one last semester to get her degree is something that she knows she'll be appreciating later, but now?

Now she just wants to go _home_.

* * *

**I just want to say that I in no way support what Loki did in the course of the _Thor_ movie. Since that comes up here, I wanted to make it clear that Loki did some terrible things and is going to be attempting to make up for his bad choices for the rest of his life, and he knows he has blood on his hands.**

**Yeah. Reviews are my favorite...**


	5. Shenanigans

**Infinite thanks to my beta, dysprositos, who is continually awesome.**

**Fair warning, Clint and Natasha tied me up and stole this chapter. I rather like the result, though.**

* * *

Darcy takes one last look around her dorm room the day before Thanksgiving to see if she's forgetting anything, then shoulders her backpack and grabs the handle of her rolling suitcase. She steps out and shuts the door behind her and wishes that this was for the last time.

Jessica had already left to go home for Thanksgiving. She'd even offered to take Darcy with her, knowing that Darcy had no family to go home to (_Thanks for the reminder, Jess_), but Darcy had declined.

They could both use a break from each other, for one, and Darcy didn't want to intrude, either. Besides, she has her own plans for the holiday, although she'd only given Jess a vague idea of them.

Darcy is going home to New York. Their number will be three short, but she'll still have Natasha and Clint and Steve. And, well, Tony, but he doesn't really count.

He'll probably be useless in the kitchen anyway—Darcy can just see him trying to jury-rig some fancy doodad to cook the turkey and blowing the whole floor up.

But she'd talked to Steve, who promised that they'd do the whole Thanksgiving thing, and do it right. He'd sounded a little wistful, and Darcy guessed that he hadn't gotten a proper one last year (when he'd just been woken up; fucking SHIELD) or before, when he'd lived through the Depression and then the country had gone to war right after.

They'd had some fun discussions about some of the old wartime rationing programs like Meatless Mondays and Wheatless Wednesdays that had sort of made a resurgence in recent years. Darcy'd gotten hooked into the Meatless Mondays thing through a campus-wide initiative and when she'd done a little research, she'd come up with some questions.

And Steve, always accommodating, had been glad to answer them.

(What she doesn't know is that he'd moped around for most of the rest of the day because talking about how he used to deal with rationing and swap stories with Bucky about what foods they were missing—Steve at home and Bucky overseas—had gotten Steve to missing Bucky something fierce. That was, until Clint took him to the gym to spar, and, well, one thing led to another. Steve felt better the next morning; the new century had some advantages to offer.)

So Darcy's looking forward to getting home for a few days. And it might not be the best thing for her grades, but she's leaving all her homework behind (_Good riddance_). She'll be heading back Sunday morning and she can pretty much spend the whole day working then.

It's not like she has a lot of pressing tasks, anyway. Just a few reading assignments, one relatively short paper, and then of course her final paper on the role of lesser nobles within the structure of a traditional monarchy.

So she runs through her mental checklist one final time—she hasn't forgotten anything—and then heads for the front gates of the school where she is supposed to be meeting a cab.

Tony'd apparently offered up his private plane and Natasha and Clint had volunteered to come down and get Darcy, but that seemed like a waste of fuel.

She doesn't mind flying with all the holiday travelers; she has a new Sudoku book (Jess had gotten her hooked by constantly asking Darcy for her help with puzzles until Darcy'd given up and bought herself a book to work on—she's pretty good at it, actually) and her iPod (again, she'd been offered a Stark product but Darcy preferred to buy herself a secondhand music player; there was one scratch on the back but it worked perfectly and made Darcy happy—the scratch just added character).

Driving down just to get her seemed excessive as well. It was one thing for Natasha to drive down to school with Darcy because for one, she'd needed some help moving in. And two, they'd needed to see if Darcy's Avengers connection was going to create a problem for her.

But it hadn't; nobody seemed to know or care (despite her name being mentioned on TV several times), and Darcy's mousy brunette 'neighbor from back home' hadn't caused anyone to blink an eye. Darcy had laughed at Natasha's wig and makeunder and the license plate switch on Tony's car—they couldn't go driving into Culver in 'Stark 61,' a simpler sports car with most of its identifying paraphernalia removed—after all.

So Darcy takes a cab to the airport and settles in to wait for her flight, happy to be going _home_.

* * *

As she heads to the baggage carousel to collect her larger suitcase, Darcy is not really sure _who_ she's expecting to pick her up. Natasha, mysterious as usual, had promised that Darcy would be collected but had neglected to offer any details.

Oh well, worst case scenario is that some supervillain picks today to attack and nobody can come get her, in which case she'll take a cab and find somebody to bill for the expense.

But she's not allowed to worry for too long because she soon spots Clint, resplendent in a chauffeur's uniform, holding up a sign that reads 'Lewis' in neat, even letters.

He looks mightily strange, but the Avenger isn't getting any second looks from the various travelers, so Darcy supposes that it's an effective disguise.

And, well, an opportunity to mess with him a little. Duh.

So she straightens her spine and sticks her nose up in the air, marching over to him and thrusting her (pink) backpack at him. "Take this, Jeeves."

"That the best you can do?" he shoots back in an undertone, mocking.

"Go fetch my bag off that...thing," she flaps a hand in the direction of the (wrong) baggage carousel. "It is red and black."

_Zebra-striped_, she doesn't say.

Clint snaps to attention, her backpack over one shoulder. "Yes, ma'am."

He turns to go and immediately spins right back around, "Uh, here. You hold this."

And then she has the sign with her name printed on it—either Natasha or Steve's handiwork (she's seen Clint's writing, if it can be called that)—thrust into her hands as Clint disappears into the crowd.

Bending down, Darcy puts the damn thing between her feet and crosses her arms, waiting. She should've known Clint would find a way to turn the whole thing back around on her, but she's not too bothered. He still has to walk through the airport with her pink backpack and zebra-striped suitcase, after all.

And he does it in style, returning with his head held high and her belongings carried carefully in his arms.

_Stupid showoff, not pulling my suitcase like a normal person_.

"Your chariot awaits, madam," he says grandly, gesturing to the exit. "I have retrieved your belongings, and if there are no further tasks for us here, you have a welcoming committee at home."

That's all he says, holding the door open for her (still carrying her damn suitcase in his stupidly muscled arms, asshole) and making a show of zipping his lips.

Their car is parked in short term parking, sleek with black-tinted windows, and Clint tosses her suitcase in the trunk. Dropping the facade, he asks, "You want this?" indicating her backpack.

"Nah, but my laptop's in there. Be careful, prick."

"Shut the fuck up and get in the car, Darce."

"Whatever, _Jeeves_."

"Jeeves is a valet, not a chauffeur, Darcy," a new voice says teasingly from the backseat.

"Shut up, Tasha, it was the best I could do on short notice," Darcy grins, carefully telegraphing her intentions to give Natasha a hug before she does so. Natasha doesn't take well to surprise physical contact, and Darcy'd been bruised for a week afterwards the one time she'd accidentally caught her off guard.

"It's good to see you," Natasha says.

"You too. And even you, asshole," Darcy calls to Clint, who has just climbed into the driver's seat. "Wait, you're really driving?"

"We thought a limousine might be too conspicuous," Natasha states, matter-of-fact. As if just ordering a limousine (last time she'd checked, Tony didn't keep one at the Tower) was that simple. "And you'd better buckle up. Clint disdains holiday traffic."

If Natasha's advising it, it must be a good idea, so Darcy does as suggested. The car starts up almost immediately, hurrying to the edge of the parking lot and going out through the toll booths.

Once he's free of sluggish airport traffic, he makes a sharp left and picks up speed. Natasha is unruffled, crossing her legs and rolling her eyes.

Darcy's unease must be plain, because Natasha calmly says, "He hasn't been in an accident in years."

"There's a first time for everything," Darcy counters drily.

"Not when I'm behind the wheel," Clint calls back cheerfully over his shoulder.

"Eyes on the road, birdbrain!"

"Yes, ma'am."

When Darcy isn't looking, Clint meets Natasha's eyes in the rearview mirror and gives her a saucy wink. They have missed having someone to around to mess with; Tony tends to be too fond of revenge and Steve challenging to fool with his enhanced senses. But Darcy is the perfect target for their particular brand of humor.

For most of the rest of the ride home, they travel in a comfortable silence. Well, except for Clint's pointed comments aimed at other drivers ("Ever heard of the gas pedal, asshole?" and what seems to be his favorite, "Horn works, try your lights." Of course, this completely ignores _his_ liberal application of the horn, but whatever.).

It's the most fun Darcy's had in weeks. There's nothing death-defying involved in school work, unless she bleeds out from a papercut or something.

And when they get back to the Tower, Clint squeaking through an alley to dart out onto the main street for a short second before they were turning into the garage, Steve's leaning against the door, waiting.

Clint parks—crookedly; Darcy's pretty sure it was on purpose—and tosses Steve the keys. Steve catches them left-handed without even looking, moving to replace them on the neatly-ordered rack, and Darcy rolls her eyes, going around to grab her backpack and suitcase.

Natasha almost immediately relieves her of the suitcase, as both Steve and Clint are too busy making out to be of much help right now.

"They do that. Repeatedly. Multiple times a day," Natasha explains, kicking Clint in the back of his calf as she leads the way past them and inside.

Clint unwinds an arm from around Steve to flip her off, which Natasha ignores.

This seems kind of hypocritical, seeing as Darcy's seen Natasha and Tony make out in much the same way, but she doesn't figure it's her place to say anything.

"Where's Tony?" Darcy would have thought that he could've been bothered to come greet her, but evidently not.

"Oh, he's um, busy. How's school?"

Darcy lets herself be distracted, figuring that Natasha's just covering for her boyfriend, and besides, she's been waiting for a sympathetic ear for two weeks, since the last time they talked face-to-face.

But as it turns out, Darcy discovers as she and Natasha walk into the living room of the common floor, Tony's not ignoring her for the sake of ignoring her.

Instead, he's with the other (presumably) new arrivals.

Natasha quickly reaches over to take Darcy's backpack before Darcy's running across the room to launch herself at Bruce.

He stumbles back a step or two before Thor grabs his shoulder, chuckling. "Hey, Darce," Bruce greets her.

"Bruce!"

"Good to see you."

"You're…tan! And smiling!" Suspiciously, she rounds on Thor and Loki. "What did you do to him?"

"It is good to see you as well," Loki sniffs while Thor simply beams.

Darcy wriggles free from Bruce and jumps up at Loki, who instinctively catches her under her thighs, surprised. "Hi," she says, face-to-face with him.

"Hello. Did you leap on me for any particular reason, or do you simply enjoy defying gravity?"

"I'm glad to see you, jerk."

"And I you, but you do not find me leaping upon unsuspecting persons."

"You should try it sometime, it's fun."

And then she leans over, figuring that Loki has her well enough, to hug as much of Thor's shoulders as she can get her arms around, "Hey, big guy. Good to see you."

Loki's probably had enough of her climbing on him, so she grabs his shoulders and straightens her legs, bending her knees slightly to absorb the impact of hitting the ground.

"When did you guys get back?" she asks, looking at their bags sitting on the couch.

"Not in time to come get you at the airport, I'm afraid," Bruce says apologetically.

"That's cool, I had Chauffeur Clint come get me. Hey, do you think that Barbie comes with other outfits?"

"Not a fucking Barbie, Lewis," Clint drawls from the doorway. "And I'm not playing dress up, so don't get any big ideas."

"Oh, hey, when did you get here?"

"When you were jumping on Loki. Nice vertical, by the way."

"Fuck you," she throws back, turning to Thor. "I'm just so glad you're here!"

"We gathered," Loki says disdainfully.

"Hey, you caught me, didn't you?"

"That is true."

Tony, who has miraculously been quiet all this while, speaks up, "Well, hello to you too, Darcy. Now, why don't all our merry travelers put their things in their rooms and then we can come up with a game plan for tomorrow?" His tone of voice implies that he is rubbing his hands together like a caricature of an evil genius; Darcy doesn't want to know why.

Oh, yeah, she should greet Tony, too. He _is_ her host. "Hey, Tony. Sorry."

"No prob," he waves a hand dismissively. "You had bigger fish to fry. Or leap on."

_Great, they're never going to let me forget that_.

Darcy collects her backpack and suitcase from Natasha with a quick "Thanks," and turns back to Loki, grabbing his arm and pulling. "Come on, let's go already."

He sticks his bag under the arm that she has hold of and takes her suitcase from her, "Lead the way."

As they leave the room, she sees Natasha pick up the Tesseract and make to take it away.

They take the elevator up to the floor where their rooms are. Darcy didn't want to make Loki carry her suitcase up the stairs, but when she made a grab for it—she can carry the damn thing by herself, thank you very much—he held it out of her reach.

At the door of her room, he puts it on the ground and bows slightly.

Darcy says, "Thanks, Loki. I could've carried it by myself, you know."

"Ah, but you _are_ my lady." With that cryptic comment, he disappears into his room.

She hauls her stuff into her room and unpacks quickly, throwing her clothes onto the neatly made bed and her toiletries into the bathroom.

Then she goes across the hall to bang on Loki's door.

When he opens it, seeming both perturbed and amused, the first thing out of her mouth is "_Your lady_? What the hell?"

"Come," he takes her elbow, leading her to the stairwell. "And yes, Heimdall, our gatekeeper—"

"I know all about him, remember, I was there for your brother's little banishment, which he begun by screaming for Heimdall. Loudly. Insanely. Well, at least until Jane hit him with the car, that is."

"—kept close tabs on you and the others. When I would visit him to ascertain your well-being, he referred to you as 'my lady,' and nothing I said could convince him otherwise."

"Sounds like you had it rough."

"I deserve any sort of punishment he decides is necessary, and more, besides."

"Why's that?"

"I attempted to kill him while Thor was banished."

Loki just says it so matter-of-factly that it takes a minute to sink in. "Wait, you tried to kill someone?"

"And succeeded, though obviously not with Heimdall. Does that bother you?"

"Are we talking like 'oh, this is a war, you're on the other side, and I'm gonna have to kill you to stay alive' or premeditated murder?"

"Both."

"'Cause I'm cool with the war thing, that's something that happens, but Loki, killing people for the sake of killing is really _not_ good."

"I know that now, Darcy."

"Good. I mean, Tony's responsible for thousands of deaths, Hulk's hands aren't exactly clean either, Steve was in a war, Natasha and Clint were fucking assassins, and if you were in a war, I'm assuming Thor was, too, so it's not like you're alone in having blood on your hands."

"Indeed, you are the only person in residence with a clean slate."

"But I like all of you guys, and I can hardly single you out and hate you because you've killed people. I can disapprove, sure, but that's in the past. Right?"

"If I had not changed, would I be likely to tell you?"

"I guess not, but, Loki, you're not like that anymore, are you? You and Thor both used to be giant dicks and then he got banished and um, you got…"

"Captured," he supplies smoothly.

"Yeah. And that fixed both your little red wagons."

"'Fixed our little red wagons?'"

"It's an expression, means you got straightened out."

"We both did, yes. And I regret deeply what I attempted, but the fact remains that I am responsible for my actions and will continue to be until the day I die. As will Thor, though he has fewer reparations to make than I."

That's heavy.

"Well, I'm glad you get that. And that you aren't, uh, trying to murder people anymore."

"As am I. Now, tell me more about this Thanksgiving festival of yours; Bruce explained some but he says that he has never experienced a proper one."

"Yeah, I don't guess he has. It's a national holiday and celebrated just in America on this day—a few other countries have their own Thanksgiving holidays, though. It's supposed to be celebrating how the Native Americans helped the settlers who came over here and were too dumb to survive on their own. And then a bunch of people celebrated it at different times, and President Lincoln made it a national holiday in an attempt to foster national unity during the Civil War—you know what that is?"

Loki nods.

"And it's been pretty much the same since—well, one of the Roosevelts moved it to earlier in November—but that's pretty much it."

"And you are expected to take this time to be grateful for what you have?"

"Friends, family, food, a roof over your head, yeah, pretty much."

"I like the sound of this. It seems appropriate for people to take one day to appreciate what they have."

"And there's football and parades and shit, so it's not all mushy. Hey, we need to find out about the parades; maybe one'll come by here!"

With that, Darcy hurries down the last few stairs and into the common room, Loki trailing after her more sedately (she makes it a goal to make him do something weird like run before she goes back to Culver because all that calm can't be healthy—not even for someone like Bruce, which Loki is not).

"Where's the fire?" Tony asks from his spot leaning against the wall.

"Does one of the parades come by here tomorrow?"

"I don't know; J?"

"Indeed one does, Ms. Lewis. Here is their route," he flashes a map up on the wall, "and they are estimating that they should pass the Tower at approximately 11 AM."

"Oh my god, that is so fucking cool."

"Yeah, it is," Tony preens a little, but Darcy ignores him, turning to Natasha.

"We need to make sure that we plan some time tomorrow to watch it!"

"If you want to, Darcy." Natasha shoots Tony a smile, which he returns, moving over to drop his head onto her shoulder.

Thor and Bruce come in a few minutes later and Darcy discreetly slips over to fix Bruce's rumpled hair and point out where his shirt is half-untucked. Thor shows no signs of their activities, which is kinda unfair, but whatever.

And then they set down to business, planning out their day tomorrow and deciding who will make a grocery store run this afternoon.

* * *

That evening, Natasha orders in pizza and they all gather around the table, talking and laughing, swapping stories about their adventures.

Loki is reticent as always, but Thor has been getting increasingly more excited about something, and finally when it seems as though he's about to burst, Loki's voice cuts through the din.

"I believe my brother has an announcement to make."

The room falls quiet and the attention turns to Thor, who takes Bruce's offered hand and declares, "We're getting married!"

Darcy gasps, reaching around Clint to squeeze Bruce's shoulder, "Congratulations! That's awesome!"

"Thanks, Darce."

Everyone else chimes in with their congratulations until Bruce is blushing slightly and Thor is beaming.

"So, where are you getting hitched?" Tony asks.

"In Asgard, though you are all invited."

"When?" Darcy hopes it's not soon, well, not until the semester is over at least.

"The seasons are roughly the same on Asgard as they are in the Northern Hemisphere here, and we were thinking a summer wedding. So probably early July here or so because the time is a little different between realms; their year is shorter or something," Bruce answers.

That's good news for Darcy's schedule. She wants to know more about how Bruce liked Thor's parents (and if they approve), but she doesn't think he would really want to talk about that here, so she stays quiet and lets the others chime in for a while.

Thor and Bruce have not yet begun to plan, and will probably be going back to Asgard in May (although Thor or Loki will need to make short trips earlier, just to check up on things) to begin heavy-duty planning. Bruce grimaces a little at this—big affairs aren't really his thing anymore, but Darcy thinks he'll be fine. It's not every day you get to marry an alien prince, after all.

The talk of a wedding carries them over into after dinner drinks until Darcy decides that she's got a big day tomorrow and should probably be getting to bed.

Loki offers to walk up with her; he's tired, too, apparently, and she accepts.

At her door, he bows again slightly (this courtly manners shit is new, and kinda strange, but maybe once he adjusts to being back on Earth, he'll get over it) and leaves her with a subdued "Sleep well, Darcy."

"See you tomorrow, Loki!"

After she gets ready for bed, she gives JARVIS strict instructions to wake her at 8:30 the next morning and crawls under the covers.

* * *

She's woken with a hand over her mouth and a rough shake of her shoulder at 7:57 AM, which is decidedly _not_ what she was expecting (_Isn__'t JARVIS incorporeal?_).

"It's just me," Natasha says, drawing back to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Wha? Tasha?"

"Sorry, but I thought I'd better come rescue you before Clint gets here. JARVIS said that you wanted to be gotten up at 8:30, and the last I saw Clint, he was filling up a water gun."

"That asshole." And then, as Natasha's fresh-as-a-daisy appearance hits her, "Do you people even sleep?"

"Yeah, but we haven't been pulling all-nighters studying."

"True."

"Come on, get out of bed before Clint gets here."

"Okay." Darcy gets up and slips a pillow under the covers, bunching them up so it looks like she's still in bed. "Gimme a minute."

When she comes back from the bathroom, she explains, "Let's jump him when he comes in."

"You take his torso, I'll get the legs," Natasha agrees, and Darcy knew there was a reason she liked this woman.

"JARVIS, if anyone asks, I'm still sleeping."

"And I'm busy," Natasha adds.

"Yes, ladies," he agrees.

They wait, occasionally whispering back and forth and giggling (mostly Darcy; Natasha is too dignified to giggle) until almost 8:30, when Natasha hushes Darcy.

Sure enough, a man comes in, and they launch themselves at him.

Except it's Steve, not Clint.

"Oops, sorry, Steve." Darcy lets go and steps back, smoothing out his shirt.

"Guess Natasha beat me here," he smiles amicably at the assassin straightening up from the neat roll she had tucked into when she realized that she wasn't about to be tackling Clint. "I told Clint that nobody would appreciate being woken up with a water gun, but he didn't believe me, so I dumped the whole thing down his shirt and locked down the elevator and blocked off the stairwell door so he couldn't follow me."

"That's really sweet, Steve, thanks!" And maybe a little excessive (a little water's hardly gonna hurt her) but Steve seems so pleased and sincere that Darcy can't be rude.

And with her day off to a (mostly) good start, Darcy is really happy to be with her friends.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, and if, y'know, you feel like leaving a review, those are always welcome. Just sayin'.**


	6. Interlude

**This is shorter than normal and an interlude. **

**My beta, dysprositos, is completely and utterly the best.**

* * *

The first thing that Loki heard when he set foot on Jötunheimr was, "The king wishes to speak with you, Odinson."

"Certainly," was the only reply he could rightfully make.

"This way," his guide beckoned.

Loki waved off his retinue and followed. He had several daggers stashed under his heavy cloak, but he doubted that he would need them.

If the Jötunn wanted him dead, as was their right, then he had no plans to obstruct them. Of course, he had a healthy desire for the continuation of his own life, but he was responsible for the deaths of several of their race during a childish tantrum.

And that was something he had yet to apologize for, one of the motivations for him making this trip.

He was led beyond the areas where he had previously, er, visited, into a proper palace, albeit made of ice. The temperature was warmer there, and he removed the cloak and hung it over an arm.

Under his breath, he whispered, "Stunning," and heard the guard chuckle.

"Not what you were expecting, Odinson?"

"Not at all," Loki said quietly.

They continued on in silence into a large wing of the palace, where his guide held up a hand to halt him and conferred with another guard, one of two standing outside an ornate door, for a moment.

"The king will see you now," he announced, and one side of the door was opened to admit Loki.

He slipped inside and heard the door slide into place behind him.

The room was empty save for a large chair, throne-like in appearance, unoccupied, and another, smaller, more comfortable-looking chair. There sat Laufey, king of Jötunheimr and Loki's real parent.

"Greetings, Odinson." He inclined his head slightly.

Hoping that proper Asgardian protocol carried over in this court, Loki bowed.

Laufey seemed accepting of this, and said, "It seems as though we have much to discuss, yes? My representatives have related your tale to me, but I have a few questions about it. If you do not mind."

"I do not." How could he refuse?

"Very well. You claim that you are my son, can you prove it?" His eyes hardened, and Loki got the distinct sense that this was not a being to be trifled with.

"As I understand it, the Jötunn royal line carry special markings that distinguish them."

"Yes."

Loki took a deep breath and released the glamour he was holding, revealing his true skin color and dropping the cloak to the floor.

Laufey appeared surprised, but he rose and came closer to inspect Loki from all angles.

"Your skill with magic is widely known; how am I to believe that this is not simply one of your tricks?"

Wordlessly, Loki held out his arm. Laufey gripped it tightly, and they both waited. Neither felt any strange sensation; their skins were the same temperature, something that a sorcerer with limited knowledge of Jötunn physiology would not be able to accomplish.

"I see." Laufey returned to his seat.

Self-consciously, Loki started to raise his familiar glamour before thinking better of it and straightening his spine instead.

He was not much of a Frost Giant, that he knew.

"Welcome, my son. You are the foundling I left at the temple after the death of your mother, there can be no other explanation."

"The Allfather has explained that I was found there."

"How did you come to find the truth of your parentage?"

"When I followed my brother here to do ill-advised battle, one of your warriors made contact with my skin. It pierced the glamour and revealed the true color of my own flesh."

"Naturally Odin had not yet told you, had indeed prejudiced you against your own race as demonstrated by your callousness in bringing in my soldiers to attempt to retake the Casket of Ancient Winters, a task you knew you could not be accomplished. As I understand it, the whole plot was staged simply to disrupt the coronation of your adopted brother. Correct?"

"That is correct, though I do regret my actions. As to my parentage, I figured it out on my own, but Odin confirmed it. And I then made a series of poor decisions."

"Including attempting to assassinate me and exterminate my race."

Loki braced himself, then answered, "Yes, sir."

"None of the Odinsons are in the practice of reacting well to bad news. You were raised amongst them, therefore you were not properly taught. That is _not_ an excuse, though." Laufey rose. "Now you are on my realm, and if you so much as make one indication that your ways have not changed, you will be sorry, son of mine or not."

"I understand. My time with the Chitauri was most...educational."

"Some lessons must be learned the hard way. Odin believed that was satisfactory punishment for you?"

Hesitantly, "Yes."

"I see no reason to disagree with his judgment, but my warning stands. Now, do you have any questions to ask me?"

An abrupt transition, but Loki did have one pressing question, "I wronged your people, and I wish to make amends for that as much as I can. Do you have any advice on the matter?"

Laufey nodded slowly. "I do. Take some time to walk amongst us while you are here. I am certain that you have learned that we are little like Asgard's tales of us, or else you would not have come. My people are strong, but never too strong to accept a helping hand. There has not been a sorcerer born amongst us for generations, and certain aspects of our culture have gone to waste, as a result."

"I will do my best."

"That is all I ask. I too have made decisions that I deeply regret."

_Such as I_, Loki thought, but he knew that speaking such thoughts aloud would likely carry negative ramifications. He was not dealing with familiar Odin, whose temper Loki knew as well as his capacity for forgiveness.

Laufey was unknown, and Loki could not jeopardize the treaty any further than the effect his presence might have upon its success.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he bowed again.

Laufey laughed. "We do not stand upon such ceremony here. You merely need to show the proper respect."

Loki nodded and began to move towards the door.

"One more question, if you will."

"Of course."

"You do not plan to remain among us, do you?"

Loki paused, considering how to phrase the diplomatic response. "I do not. My family is on Asgard. I have a great deal of respect for you and your people, but I do not feel as though I belong among you permanently. I hope you can understand."

"I do. I am glad to have gotten the opportunity to meet you, Loki."

"And I you. Thank you."

"Go on. Conduct your treaty talks. Use that silver tongue of yours, but be warned: do not make promises you cannot keep."

"I shall bear that in mind. Thank you."

Loki left the room, his head whirling with so many thoughts that he did not realize he had failed to replace his glamour until, after asking the way, he entered the room where the ministers from Asgard were waiting.

Their surprise caused him to replace his normal looks, but as he spent more time on Jötunheimr, he would become more comfortable in his other skin, his real skin.

* * *

The treaty talks go well, and Loki spent a total of three and a half weeks on Jötunheimr, learning more about the Jötunn people every day.

His presence was not required at the last-minute negotiations every day, and he spent those traveling among the people of this alien land instead.

Magic, he found, was much in demand, as he cast simple healing spells, shored up dangerous columns, and simply made living conditions a little more bearable for his hosts.

The treaty was completed at the end of the first week and the signing ceremony set for the end of the second. Loki signed wearing his Æsir skin, as that was his official role.

A large portion of his attendants returned to Asgard with the completed and signed treaty, to begin carrying out its contents, but Loki and a few others lingered behind.

He would have preferred to remain alone, but he was reminded that they were responsible to his parents for keeping an eye on him, and they did not want to face up to the wrath of his mother if anything were to happen to him.

That, he understood.

On one of his last days on Jötunheimr, Loki was again summoned to an audience with Laufey. They mostly spoke of trivial matters, but Laufey did acknowledge, "Jötunheimr has been improved for your presence. Despite some missteps, you have grown up into a fine man, and I am proud to acknowledge you as my offspring."

And so Loki made his peace with his past, finally, and when he returned to Asgard, he spent a few days with his parents before he, Thor, and Bruce returned to Earth on the day that Darcy was due to travel to New York to celebrate a holiday.

* * *

**Concrit or even possibly nice things are always welcome...**


	7. Holiday

**A humongous thank you to my fan-fucking-tastic beta, dysprositos, for looking over more drafts of this than usual and putting up with my extreme neurosis about it.**

**WARNING: mention of attempted sexual assault.**

* * *

Thanksgiving goes well; Tony makes a few abortive attempts to get his hands on a turkey so that he can rig up something dangerous to fry it in, but he's playing around, not serious.

As it turns out, not a single Avenger has ever cooked a turkey before. Not even Darcy, since her mom had always done the cooking, and Darcy hadn't had the felt like taking over after her mom had gotten too sick to spend hours in the kitchen. Darcy hadn't felt like celebrating holidays in general, really.

It makes sense that Loki and Thor haven't (since apparently turkeys aren't a thing in Asgard), and even Steve (since turkeys probably weren't easy to get ahold of in the middle of New York City at all then, much less during the Depression).

Bruce has a tragic backstory and Natasha doesn't have one at all, really. Growing up in the circus probably didn't offer the opportunity to cook turkey, so Clint's out, too.

When they were making their shopping list the day before, they had figured this out and had subsequently bought three turkeys for their use, two to eat and one to experiment on. And if things turn out okay and they don't need that third turkey, then they'll donate it to a food bank, along with a few more and some other Thanksgiving staples.

That was a group decision, and one Darcy feels pretty damn good about. It's the right thing to do, and she remembers taking their leftovers to the 'less fortunate' with her mother when she was younger.

That morning, they have a quick breakfast and then get right down to work.

Yesterday, they had decided that trying to have all the food ready for lunch would mean that they would have to get up before the sun. That wouldn't make anyone happy, so they're aiming to finish in the mid-afternoon so they can sample things before dinner, which will be the big affair.

Everyone has a cooking assignment, and Darcy knows she's not that great in the kitchen, so she's perfectly happy to be doing things like chopping vegetables and keeping an eye on the rolls while the people with more experience (and who have done something other than microwave ramen noodles since the summer) do the heavy lifting.

So a couple of people are working on the turkey after intensive Googling (Darcy's lost track of who's doing what; there's a lot to keep up with), and everyone else has their own things to take care of.

They work pretty much straight through the morning, but at 10:30 Darcy gets an update on the parade's location from JARVIS, and at 10:55 she announces that she and Loki—who is also chopping vegetables, apparently, and very vigorously—are taking a break. She doesn't know if the others can hear her over the music that somebody (Tony, probably) has set to blaring, but she tries, anyway.

Darcy drags Loki over to the big window and presses her face to it, looking out at the balloons and down at the floats. She gets the sense that Loki is not enjoying it as much as she is, but he's humoring her. It's fucking awesome, though. Experiencing a parade should be on everyone's bucket list, and so she's doing Loki a favor, the way she figures it.

After a minute, he does relax and begin asking what the balloons are meant to represent. Darcy can identify most of them, but there are a few new ones even she doesn't know.

Somebody orders in pizza for lunch, as there's no room to make anything else in the kitchen; they've covered the entire counter space and then some. Thor and Bruce's contrasting heights mean that they can work practically on top of each other, which Darcy has to admit is cute. She'll have to ask JARVIS for a picture from the security footage later, something to pull out and show around at their wedding.

The pizza's gone quickly, everyone apparently ravenous, and then it's back to work.

About two in the afternoon, people begin finishing up and trickling out of the kitchen, getting out from underfoot of the people still busy.

There's nary a vegetable more in sight to chop, and Darcy rubs her sore wrist before grabbing a fresh-out-of-the-oven roll and hightailing it out of there before Natasha can catch her, as Natasha has previously swatted Clint and Tony's hands away from the pan.

The living room television is not being used although several people are in there, draped over chairs and probably trying to catch their breath, so Darcy curls up on a corner of the sofa and tells JARVIS to turn on the recording of the parade around a mouthful of roll.

She swallows the last bite just before Natasha comes around the corner, and Darcy does her best to look innocent.

Natasha plops down on Tony's lap in an armchair and announces that the turkey's just about ready to come out of the oven. He's been the one who looks least tired, but Darcy didn't see the point in attempting to strike up a conversation with him.

Tony adjusts the tablet he's working on so that he can see it around Natasha, and she turns her attention to the parade. It's a practiced movement, one that seems like they don't even have to think before adjusting themselves.

Loki's the next one in, and he sits down next to Darcy. After a minute, he asks, "Is that not one of the balloons we saw outside the window earlier?"

"Yeah, it is. Charlie Brown. We'll have to watch a couple of those some time, get you some culture. Oooh, there's a Thanksgiving movie. Tasha, are we doing anything after dinner?"

Natasha's head jerks like she's not been paying attention to their conversation. "Not moving, probably. Why?"

"We've got to watch the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie."

"Haven't seen it." Natasha looks interested.

"Awesome. JARVIS, can you get ahold of it?"

"Indeed I can, Ms. Lewis."

"All settled then," Darcy leans back on the sofa contentedly, and hits her head on Loki's arm. Which has somehow moved from resting at his side to resting on the back of the sofa near her.

If he was from around here, then she'd assume he was flirting, but he's not. Maybe this is just a regular thing on Asgard? Darcy doesn't know, and she's sure as hell not about to ask Loki.

Natasha notices, too, and tips her head at the arm that Darcy is cautiously resting her arm against. Darcy shrugs back, a silent, 'I have no idea what's going on.'

They watch the parade for a few more minutes and then Steve sticks his head around the corner, "Turkey's done. You guys want some?"

Everyone in the room is on their feet almost simultaneously to Steve's amusement, and Darcy calls, "JARVIS, pause, please," as she follows the crowd to the kitchen.

Clint is standing over the turkey with a large knife in his hand. "One piece, and that's it. If you're still hungry, you can get yourself a snack or wait 'til dinner, I don't give a fuck. Just keep away from my turkey."

"Yeah, yeah, now gimme," Tony demands from the front of the crowd, and Clint spears a piece on his knife and thrusts it at Tony, who delicately removes it. "Watch it, Barton. Don't want to damage the merchandise."

"Special treatment just for you, Stark." But there's no real malice behind Clint's words, and the knife didn't get anywhere near close enough to cause damage, or else Darcy knows that Natasha would look a lot more worried than amused.

Clint doles out turkey more carefully to everyone else, and Darcy's the last one to get a piece.

"Saved the biggest one for you, sweetheart," he grins.

"Thanks, birdbrain. In what universe am I sweet?" She tears a piece of the turkey off roughly for dramatic effect and he chuckles.

"Alrighty, then, Killer, finish that up. Do you mind giving me and Steve a hand getting all this food put up? Dinner's still a few hours away."

"Sure thing."

She doesn't mind helping, and when she gets back to the living room, nobody's touched the TV, so that's good. Taking her seat next to Loki again and asking JARVIS to resume play, she shoots him a suspicious glance; his arm's back across the top of the sofa.

When the parade's over—and Steve's asked JARVIS to hang onto a copy of the recording for him since he missed most of it—they set a dinner time and then split up, the couples going off together.

That leaves Darcy and Loki in the living room by themselves, so she offers, "Monopoly?"

He grins and they start playing, which takes up most of their time until dinner. He wins, which is not entirely unexpected, but Darcy doesn't mind.

* * *

Since they'd made the food so early, they have to heat up their dinners, so Thor and Bruce set up the kitchen buffet-style and everyone files through, fixing themselves a plate and sticking it in the microwave.

Drinks are on the table, courtesy of Tony and Natasha, who also brings out the rolls from where she'd apparently hidden them.

Again, Darcy ends up at the back of the line, and by the time she reaches the table, most of the boys are eyeing their plates hungrily (Natasha and Loki both have too much class to do so).

Steve, sitting at the head of the table by popular demand, asks for a moment of silence while everyone recognizes what they're thankful for this year, and then everyone digs in.

It's surprisingly good, given that most people didn't have much experience making what they were cooking.

Wanting to save room for pie, she doesn't go back for seconds, but everyone else does.

They clear the table and Steve says, "The dishes can wait, right?"

There's immediate collective agreement and a little amusement at Steve willingly putting off a chore, but they dish up the pie and refill their glasses and head into the living room, where Darcy asks JARVIS to play Charlie Brown.

Everyone seems to be lulled into a kind of stupor once they've finished their pie—which is excellent; Bruce, who made it, gets compliments by the dozen—while the movie flickers, but after the end credits roll, Tony, scotch bottle on the ground by his feet, asks lazily, "So, you don't like me, huh, Lewis?"

That came out of left field, and it takes Darcy a minute to realize that he's talking to her, but then she's responding, "What makes you think that, Stark?"

Bruce's head has swung around to look between them, and Steve's looking concerned as well. In fact, the whole room is paying attention to the conversation, probably because they had just been sitting there in silence.

"We're using last names to address each other," he waves a hand between them, almost sloshing his drink over the side of the tumbler. "Last names are typically only used between people who respect each other or people who don't like each other. If you respect me, then you need your head shrunk."

"Tony," Natasha starts, either at the way the conversation is going or his self-deprecation, Darcy's not sure. But she doesn't mind explaining, and since Tony's the one who brought it up, he's probably not going to mind listening to her.

Darcy could think of a few other reasons for using last names to address each other, but she doesn't want to start anything when the day's been going so well, so she responds instead, "There were these assholes my freshman year of college. It was my first time living away from home in a whole other state, and I was kinda out of my depth. They picked up on that, thought I was hot or some shit, and tried to take advantage. They were rich, privileged daddys' boys and thought that meant they ruled the world. Gave me a real rough time of it when I said 'no' and kept saying it. I had to drop two classes to get away from them; that's one of the reasons I wound up interning for Jane."

"And I remind you of them."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about, although there is one thing. I'm _not_ a daddy's boy. He and I weren't exactly...close."

Darcy had thought that from some of the things she'd overheard him and the others say, but she'd never heard him confirm it.

So she doesn't say anything, and after a minute, he says, "But I get where you're coming from, Darcy. And I'm not really easy to get along with. Or so I've been told."

"...I guess not."

"Well, this got unexpectedly heavy. It's no big deal, just tell me to back off if I bother you more than the general annoyance I've been reliably informed that my presence causes."

Darcy smiles; he does make himself hard to dislike most of the time. "Deal."

"Okay, then," and he grabs the scotch bottle up off the floor with one hand and refills his glass.

She hangs around for a few more minutes and finishes her drink, but then she stands up. "I'm gonna head to bed. It was a great day, guys, I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, me too," Steve agrees. "'Night, Darcy."

"Good night, everyone."

Just starting to leave the room and drop her glass off in the kitchen on the way, she's interrupted by Loki.

"I shall retire as well."

Thor stands up and grabs Loki in a hug; Darcy figures that based on his timing, Loki wants to walk up with her, so she grabs the glass out of his hand and hurries to the kitchen to put both of them by the sink.

When she gets back, Thor is just sitting down and Loki heading for the door.

They walk up the stairs side-by-side in silence, almost companionable except for the fact that she can tell he's itching to ask her something.

Finally, he spits it out, "Those...boys, did they hurt you?"

"At the time, yeah. I'd thought we were just friends until they started in with all their shit. I didn't know anyone and that was pretty intimidating, so I suppose I befriended the first people who came along. But my mama didn't raise no fool, and I shut them down just as soon as they started pressuring me. They were really persistent, though. I didn't mind too much until a couple of them showed up at my dorm at night after leaving one of their frat parties and tried to get into my room. That's when I dropped the classes and changed rooms."

Loki's confusion, probably at 'frat party,' is clear, but he doesn't ask, just states, "I am sorry you had to go through such a thing."

"Don't be; it was a long time ago. I don't think about it too much, it actually took me a while to put my finger on just _why_ I don't get along with Tony so well."

"Putting traumatic experiences out of your mind is one way to deal with them, yes."

"Everyone deals in different ways. And for different things." They stop outside her bedroom door, "Well, 'night, Loki. Sleep well."

Unexpectedly, he bows low and then turns with a flourish and goes into his own room.

_Is he __seriously __flirting with me?_

But Darcy doesn't have the right points of reference to know for sure. Maybe she'll ask Bruce in the morning. If she doesn't decide it's too embarrassing, that is.

Slight negativity aside, it was the best Thanksgiving she's had since her mother died, and so Darcy is happy with the way the day turned out.

* * *

The next day she wakes up and gets ready for the day, planning to get out for a while. Somehow, when she was was staying in New York that summer, she managed to completely miss out on going to see the Statue of Liberty, and she's got to do something about that. Today's as good a day as any; Black Friday combined with the cold weather probably means that there aren't that many people around the tourist attractions.

In the kitchen, she finds Tony, who is practically drowning in his coffee cup, Natasha, and Clint.

"Mornin'," Clint says. "Steve was up early, made breakfast and did all the damn dishes, now he's in the gym. Haven't heard from anyone else, figured you guys were just sleeping off last night's dinner."

Breakfast is apparently turkey casserole made with their scant leftovers, and Darcy plates herself a decent-sized portion and grabs her own cup of coffee.

Natasha looks her up and down, taking in her clothing, then asks, "Going somewhere, Darcy?"

_That's not freaky at all_.

"Yeah, I thought I'd go out for a bit."

"It's Black Friday, gonna be pretty big crowds," Clint seems concerned. "Want someone to go with?"

"Nah, I can handle it. Got my taser and everything."

"You should let me see that; I can soup it up a little," Tony interjects.

"Packs quite a punch as is, but thanks for the offer. Took down Thor, after all."

"How have I not heard this story?" Tony looks more awake now.

"You should ask him. The way he tells it, it's three times as heroic."

From around the corner, they hear, "Indeed, it is a most mighty tale," before Thor comes into view, beaming.

"You're fucking with me."

"Nay," Thor plays up his accent, which is pretty much an indication that he is.

Finishing her breakfast, Darcy stands up, "Well, I'll just leave you guys to it, then. Be back later. Uh, Natasha, can I talk to you when I get back?"

"Sure, I don't have any plans to go anywhere."

"Awesome. Later, bitches," Darcy calls over her shoulder.

Heading back up to her room to grab her coat and phone, she runs into Loki.

"Good morning, Darcy."

"Hey, Loki. I'm kinda on my way out, so I'll see you later, okay?"

"Oh." He looks confused, and she deliberates for a second before realizing that she'll regret it if she doesn't ask.

"You got plans for today?"

"I do not."

"Wanna go out with me? I don't have any concrete plans, just kinda thought I'd wander around, maybe do some tourist-y stuff."

"I would enjoy that, yes."

"Okay. You go get your breakfast and come let me know when you're ready to leave, m'kay?"

"Yes, Darcy," he smiles at her, seemingly happy to be asked; it makes changing her plans worthwhile. And it means she doesn't need to pack her taser, not with Loki and all his magic mojo with her.

Once he's eaten, they head out with no particular plan in place, just heading towards the Statue of Liberty on the other side of town. As they pass intriguing window displays, Darcy does a little shopping while Loki waits patiently, and then they start thinking about lunch.

They wind up in a small cafe where Darcy can get hot soup and Loki, whatever he pleases. The cold doesn't seem to affect Loki all that much, probably his alien physiology, but Darcy's glad for the warmth of the shop.

"So, you've been awful quiet, Loki, you not having fun?"

"I am enjoying myself; this is very different from Asgard."

"Wanna tell me about that?"

Loki talks about seeing his mother again—Darcy misses hers, but she's glad for him—and working to help improve relations between the Æsir and the Jötunn. He had been surprised to find that most of what he'd been told about the Jötunn was untrue, as they are highly civilized, albeit in a different way than the Æsir are.

He seems more centered than when he'd left, and Darcy is glad for that. Loki, despite his checkered past, is the kind of person she wants to see happy.

They finish eating and Loki grabs their trash to throw away and hurries to hold the door open for her as she wraps her scarf more firmly around her neck and adjusts her hat.

He's been doing that since they left the Tower, and Darcy has turned down both his offers to carry her bags; she doesn't know _what's_ up with him, but it would look awful funny for him to be carrying a hot pink shopping bag around New York.

It would contrast with his green and gold coat, for one. He does have a color scheme going.

They eventually wind up at the Statue of Liberty, and in spite of the chill, Darcy has a great time. Loki lightens up some and she even gets him to pose for a few silly pictures, thereby fulfilling her promise to herself to get him to do something to break out of his seriousness.

When they get back home, JARVIS informs Darcy that Natasha had to step out, so she asks about Thor and Bruce instead.

They're in Bruce's room, apparently, and so Darcy and Loki head up there.

Someone's given them wedding magazines, and they're poring over those together, but Bruce seems grateful for the break when Darcy and Loki come in.

All four chat for a moment until Thor and Loki get involved in a conversation and Darcy calls, "I'm stealing Bruce, have him back to you in a little while!"

Then she tugs Bruce out the door and down the stairs to her room, where she shuts the door and faces him seriously.

"Bruce. Has Loki been flirting with me? I mean, he does a lot of shit that guys from around here'd do if _they_ were flirting, but he's not from around here. I mean, he keeps _bowing_, for fuck's sake!"

Patiently, Bruce asks, "What's he been doing?"

"You saw him with his arm pretty much around me yesterday, right?"

Bruce nods.

"And then there's the walking me to my room. The holding the door for me. The trying to do anything he can before me so I don't have to. It's weird, Bruce!"

"Their mother is very fond of manners and things, so that's probably where he learned that."

"That's not what I asked!"

"Calm down, Darce," Bruce says sternly. "Now, I don't know if he is or not. Why don't you ask Thor? Or better yet, Loki? Loki might know if he's flirting."

Darcy frowns at his sass. "Because it's embarrassing, that's why."

"And asking me isn't?"

When she glares, he raises his hands. "Hey, I'm not accusing you, just asking."

"You're closer to me than they are, and I don't think you'll tell Loki like Thor might."

"Okay. Why don't you just hang on for another couple days and see if he says anything before you go back to school, sound good?"

"I guess."

"Or we can go back up to my room and you can ask him right now."

"Ew, Bruce."

"That's what I thought. Now, did you have a good day?"

"It was fine, wanna see what I bought?" she asks with a wicked grin on her face.

"No offense, but I think I'd rather look at pictures of wedding cakes we're never going to have because they aren't, uh, Æsir custom." His pronunciation is different than Thor or Loki's, but it's clear he's trying.

"None taken. Frankly, I was surprised Loki didn't gripe about waiting around for me."

"He _must_ like you, then."

Darcy swats Bruce with a pillow and he heads for the door, laughing. "I'm just gonna go back to my magazines. I'll send Loki down with an engagement ring; we can have a double wedding."

"Don't you dare, asshole."

Bruce leaves and Darcy flops on her bed for a minute before she rolls over and gets to her feet.

"JARVIS, let Natasha know I'm back when she becomes available again, m'kay?"

"Certainly, Ms. Lewis."

"Thanks."

Then Darcy starts to go through her few purchases, setting the Statue of Liberty snow globe (she couldn't resist) on top of her dresser.

* * *

**I posted my first fic on here a year ago today, and am feeling ridiculously sentimental as a result. Thanks to everyone for reading!**

**Reviews make my day...**


	8. Conversations

**Many thanks to my indefatigable beta, dysprositos, for continued beta excellence.**

* * *

As he has heard in movies, "Will you go out with me?"

_No_. That will never work. It sounds nothing like Loki.

"I feel I am suitably recovered from my ordeal, and seeing my brother with Bruce has made me want a partner. Of the people I know, you are the most suitable candidate."

Harsh. Insulting. Too long.

Loki continues pacing the length of his room. He likes Darcy, wants to be more to her than a mere friend.

But his words are failing him; he does not know how to approach her.

One of his myriad nicknames is 'Silvertongue,' yet Loki has never felt more clumsy with his words.

His brother's example is little help; as Thor tells it, he approached Bruce and declared his 'intention to court' him. Bruce was stunned, but eventually agreed, and here they are, planning to wed.

Loki does not know how either Tony and Natasha or Clint and Steve became couples, but he imagines it went in much the same way, slightly awkward at first and then smoothing out into a workable relationship.

For all that Natasha is often exasperated with Tony, she does care for him, that much is evident.

And both Clint and Steve are often withdrawn, but they balance their periods of melancholy and support the other well. It is an interesting partnership, not one that Loki would have thought likely, but Clint and Steve do suit well once viewed more closely.

None of this helps Loki's current predicament.

If he were on Asgard, he would know exactly what to say, how to bow and make his approach, what to do with the other person.

But he is not, and that is the crux of the problem.

Loki has attempted to make his intentions plain to Darcy without words, but the message is not transversing the cultural divide.

He is not like Thor, able to absorb aspects of Midgardian culture and blend in; Loki keeps his archaic speech patterns and rigid bearing and cannot adapt.

Earth feels like home to him, but at the same time, it is _not_. He, a Jötunn, is more at home among the Æsir than he is here on Earth, among the Midgardians, who are supposedly more accepting of others' differences. Their reactions when Loki first came to Earth disprove this, though, and while Loki cannot hold that against them, he does feel less welcome on their realm.

There are exceptions to this; Loki's friends here in New York make the city and the Tower a home for him, but their influence cannot, does not, extend to the entire realm of Midgard. And after his visit to Jötunheimr, Midgard feels even more alien to him now.

On Jötunheimr, Loki had been able to finally make peace with his past, and he returned to Earth a different person, as trite as that sounds to his own ears.

Perhaps that is part of his problem. If only he could drop the barriers he has constructed around himself, trying deflect the hurtful comments and whispered words he had known on Asgard since he was a small boy, then maybe he could know the proper words to ask Darcy, know the correct way to question her.

But he does not.

Before he can continue berating himself, he is interrupted by JARVIS.

"Master Loki, the others have inquired if you will be joining them."

It is Darcy's last full day with them; she will be returning to her school shortly after lunch tomorrow, and they had decided to watch a film together that afternoon after spending most of yesterday doing their own separate things (Loki and Darcy had gone out sightseeing together, and Loki had attempted to work up the nerve to ask her then, to no avail).

Well, to be correct, the others had decided that they would watch the movie and Loki had gone along with it.

He needs to answer. "Yes, I will be down shortly. Thank you."

"My pleasure."

Sighing, Loki goes to the bathroom to check his appearance before striding to the staircase and going down the the common floor.

There, he enters the living room to find Thor, Bruce, and Darcy sitting on the couch and the other two couples sharing chairs, although Clint is sitting mostly on Steve and not the chair.

The sight of his brother with his fiancé and Darcy is quite endearing. Darcy is sitting with her head resting on Bruce's shoulder and most of her legs in his lap, her feet to the side. Bruce is tucked into Thor's side, and Thor's arm is around both Bruce and Darcy, his hand resting on Darcy's shoulder comfortably.

On Thor's other side, there is space, presumably for Loki to sit.

He is the last person to arrive, and whereas ordinarily he would feel bad for this rudeness, today he simply feels tired.

Taking his seat and accepting the bowl of popcorn Thor presses on him, Loki prepares for some mindless entertainment.

Indeed, that is what it delivers, a film with stunning cinematography—as he has been told it is called—but little real substance.

After it is over, they drift apart into smaller groups for a while before it will be dinner time, and Loki is preparing to return to his room when Darcy catches his arm.

Surprised, he looks down at her; she is smiling gently.

"Can we talk, Loki?"

"Certainly."

"C'mon, not here."

She leads him up the stairs to the floor they share and into her room, where she shuts the door behind them and turns to face him, stepping back so that she can look him in the face more easily.

"Okay, Loki, be honest with me here."

"...Of course." He is not sure what this conversation is going to entail, but he can promise that much. After everything he has been through, honesty is a quality he values.

"Are you _flirting_ with me? 'Cause I think you are, and Bruce is being a jerk and not giving me his opinion, and I just don't know. And I'm going back to school tomorrow and I won't be back until the semester's over and I just want to know so I don't spend the next few weeks going over and over this in my head, and—"

Loki raises a hand to halt the tirade, choosing his own words carefully.

"Darcy. Yes, I have been trying to, as you say, 'flirt,' with you. I feared I was unsuccessful."

"Okay, Shakespeare, what the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I cannot find the words to properly ask you the question."

"It's not so hard, here," and she grabs his hand, tugging him closer to her and looking up at him earnestly. "Loki, will you have dinner with me one night? There, not so bad, huh? Now you try. But say 'Darcy,' not 'Loki,' you don't want to ask yourself out."

She steps back, smiling, but Loki does not want to follow her example.

So, instead, he simply says, "Yes."

"Yes, what? That's not what I— _Oh_."

Loki allows a small smile to creep onto his face as he regards Darcy.

She does not say anything, just gapes, and after a moment he becomes worried.

"You were serious, correct?"

Darcy hesitates minutely. "Uh, not really, actually. I didn't think _you_ were serious."

"Oh."

This is awkward.

Loki starts to move towards the door, wanting to get away from this conversation. Maybe Thor will know how to fix this; Loki is utterly lost.

"Wait, Loki, just 'cause I wasn't serious in asking you doesn't mean I won't go out with you. Yeah. I'll go out with you. Okay?"

Fiercely, "I do not want your pity."

"Jesus, Loki, I'm not _pitying_ you! I thought you wanted to go out with me!"

"When that is _your_ wish as well." The _last_ thing Loki wants is to force someone to spend time in his company unwillingly.

"Okay, see, I didn't think a guy like you could ever be interested in a girl like me, so I figured it was just some Asgardian thing that I didn't get. That's why I talked to Bruce. But here you are, and you seem interested, and I'm not saying 'no,' I'm just saying I didn't expect this. That's all."

"I suppose that makes sense." Now that she has explained herself, he is able to relax. It seems that he caught her off-guard, that is all. She _is_ interested, although maybe not as much as he.

She nods to herself, "Good. Now, unless we rush out tonight, we're not gonna get the chance to do something together until I finish exams...unless you come down one weekend."

"Are you inviting me to your school?"

"I am, yes. Now, you can't drive, so you'll have to get a ride from someone else. Maybe Bruce can bring you; he pretty much already knows about, uh, this. Sound good?"

"Yes, Darcy."

"Awesome. Now, go away, I need to pack."

"Do you require assistance?"

"Nope, I've got this. See you at dinner, okay, Loki? We're good, right?"

"We are indeed 'good.'"

"Great. 'Bye, then."

"Goodbye."

Loki exits her room and goes into his before he allows the grin that has been threatening to take over his face appear.

He feels slightly ridiculous, but much less so than he did earlier, and he wants to go talk to Thor about this.

"JARVIS, where is Thor?"

"Master Thor is in his room, sir. Should I tell him to expect you?"

"Yes, please."

Loki goes upstairs and knocks at the door of Thor and Bruce's room; Thor answers.

"Come in, brother. Is something the matter?"

"No, why would you think that?"

"There is something different about your face..."

"I am smiling, you fool."

Thor takes a step back, apparently surprised. "That is true, brother. What has happened to make you so," Thor waves a hand in lieu of using his words.

"I am going to have dinner with Darcy."

"We all are, tonight. Wait, you mean a date?"

"You are slow on the uptake today, Thor."

Thor sighs, "You're not exactly the best explainer yourself. But that's good news, Loki!"

Thor hugs him, and Loki relaxes against Thor for a minute. He had never much liked embraces before all of this, before Thor was banished, before Loki learned the truth of his heritage, _before_.

Now, though, he greatly enjoys being on the receiving end of Thor's affections. He does love Thor dearly.

"Well, when?"

"I do not know. We cannot go tonight, Darcy says, and she has invited me down to visit her at her school for dinner one weekend instead."

"I'm happy for you."

"Yes, you have said that already. That is really all, I just wanted to tell someone."

Thor does not seem bothered by Loki's snappishness, though he rarely is, these days. "Is this a secret?"

"I would not ask you to conceal things from Bruce, but I would appreciate you not telling the others, yes."

"I can do that, brother."

"Very well. Thank you."

"See you at dinner, Loki."

Loki returns to his room and resumes the book he has been reading, much happier than he was earlier. His dark moods are not usually so mutable; he must greatly like Darcy, he muses.

* * *

That evening, they hold Darcy's farewell dinner, which mostly consists of the Thanksgiving leftovers they still have not yet consumed and a cake, which is a surprise for Darcy orchestrated by Natasha.

The next morning, they have breakfast together and Darcy finishes her packing.

She has JARVIS ask Loki to come to her room, and there she asks, "Has Tony forced a cell phone on you yet?"

"He has tried, though I have not accepted."

"Next time he asks, take it. Here," she gives him a small scrap of paper, "Is my number. We can talk about when you're gonna come down, and just chat, too."

"All right. I look forward to communicating with you."

"Me too, Loki. Now, c'mere."

She pulls him in for a hug without asking permission as has been her custom in the past, but Loki finds he does not mind. He returns the hug until she begins to pull away.

"Okay, Tasha and Clint are driving me to the airport, so I've gotta go unless I want them to have the time to cook up a prank. Talk to you soon, Loki."

With that, Darcy smiles and takes her luggage, leaving the room.

* * *

Loki goes down to Tony's laboratory, ostensibly to offer his assistance but really to try to get Tony to offer him a cell phone while thinking it is his idea.

He finds Tony manipulating blueprints and nodding his head along to the ear-splitting music.

Loki knocks but goes unheard, so he asks JARVIS to notify Tony of his presence.

Tony looks up and smiles, gesturing for Loki to come in.

"New suit," he explains. "So, how can I help you?" Tony is unusually loquacious; he rarely initiates a conversation when he is interrupted at work.

That might mean that Loki can accomplish his goal today, though, so he says, "Actually, I was wondering if _you_ needed any help. I have finished the novel I was reading and find myself rather at loose ends."

"Uh, sure. Well, I don't need anything right this second, but I'm sure something will come up."

Tony rambles while he works, explaining some of the modifications he is trying to make, until he pauses and Loki attempts to inconspicuously change the subject.

"Thor said that Darcy asked to resume their game of 'Words With Friends.' I do not want to ask Thor what this is, but I do not know."

In actuality, Loki does know, and has even made suggestions for Thor's games, but that is a truth better left unsaid if he wants to accomplish his greater purpose.

"Gimme a sec," Tony says, doing something that requires two hands before he pulls his phone out of his pocket and manipulates the screen for a moment.

"Here, that's what it looks like," he holds the phone out of Loki, who takes it carefully, pretending to look closely at it.

"So it is rather like Scrabble, then?" After his enjoyment of Monopoly had become evident, the team had introduced him to other board games.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Loki continues to hold the phone, giving it his full attention.

After a moment, Tony laughs. "'Course, if you'd just let me give you a phone like I've been _offering_, you'd know this already."

Tilting his head, Loki gives the appearance of considering this. "If that is an offer, I believe I have changed my mind."

"Awesome. Uh, I need to finish up these modifications so JARVIS can machine the new pieces, but I should probably be able to get a phone all souped up for you by dinner. Deal?"

"Yes, thank you, Tony." Loki hands the phone back. "Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

"Nah, this is a one-man job, and your phone's gonna be, too."

"You do not need to do anything to it for me."

"Hey, Frosty, I want to. Now, buzz off and let me work. Go find Steve or something, he's probably not too busy."

JARVIS says Steve is with Clint, and Loki does not want to interrupt them, so he finds Thor and Bruce instead. He knows he should push out and try to talk to Natasha, with whom his interaction has been limited, but he wants comfortable, so he goes to his brother.

* * *

That evening, Tony shows up at dinner with a phone in his hands, which he tosses casually to Loki.

"I already texted everyone from your phone, so they've all got your number, Frosty."

"Thank you, Tony."

"No big deal. Do me a favor, though, and start stomping Nat at Words With Friends, though, will ya? She's getting a big head, beating me all the time."

Natasha laughs, "You're one to talk, Stark!" Her tone softens as she turns to Loki, "But sure, I'll play with you."

Loki nods, and they go in to sit down for dinner.

He does not talk much, preferring to listen and observe, but his phone buzzes in his pocket about halfway through his meal, and he wants to pull it out and look.

He just _knows_ that Darcy is contacting him, but there is an unspoken agreement to not use phones at the table, so he cannot.

Instead, he begins to contribute more to the conversation, which has swung around to Thor and Bruce's wedding.

Loki has a feeling that before it is over, they will all be quite tired of the topic. But for now, it is still new and interesting.

Thor mostly talks about Æsir customs while Bruce is quieter. Loki knows that Bruce is no less invested in the upcoming nuptials than Thor is, but he is less familiar with how ceremonies are conducted on Asgard, and is content to allow Thor to take the lead.

Doubtless, Thor and Bruce will receive much assistance from Frigga when they return to Asgard in several months time.

For now, Loki helps Thor answer the others' questions, as they are curious about how things will happen.

After dinner, it is not Loki's turn in the kitchen (he washed the dishes yesterday), so he nods to the others and retreats up to his room, pulling his new phone out of his pocket as soon as he gets through the door.

Sure enough, it is from Darcy. The message is simple, just '_Heard you got a new phone._'

'_That is correct_.' He takes care to type the message out correctly, almost adding something about not being able to respond to her sooner but deciding against it. She knows the customs observed here, after all.

Her response is almost instantaneous, '_What's up?_'

After months of living on Earth, he knows what the proper response to this question is, '_Not much._'

'_Miss me yet?_'

'_I do, yes. I assume you have arrived safely._'

'_Yeah, got in just fine. I texted Natasha, guess she didn't tell you guys._'

'_I may not have been listening._'

'_That sounds like you, always have your head in the clouds._'

He is not so sure how to respond to that, but she texts again a moment later, '_*sarcasm*_'

'_Ah. How are you spending your evening?_'

'_Got some homework to catch up on, but that's mostly done._'

'_Have you eaten dinner yet?_' He does not know what he is expected to say, but he does not want to halt their conversation now.

'_Yeah, went to the cafeteria earlier with Jess. She's my roommate._'

'_Did she have a pleasant holiday?_'

'_Yeah, she did. Why are we talking about Jess?_'

Loki decides to be honest. '_Because I do not know what else to say to you._'

She takes a minute to answer, and Loki starts to worry that he has said the wrong thing.

'_Yeah, the whole just-asked-out thing is pretty weird. Um, I need to get back to this homework so I can get some sleep tonight, but I'll talk to you soon._'

'_I hope it goes well for you. I will speak to you soon._'

There is no response, and Loki assumes she has gone back to her schoolwork. The last thing he wants to do is distract her, so he closes the messaging 'app' on his phone and begins to learn its capabilities instead.

He has played with Thor's phone before, and even Bruce's once or twice on occasion, but his phone is a little different.

Having spent so much time in the company of others today, he decides to go to bed early, so he leaves his phone on the dresser and gets ready, getting into bed with a book to read for a while.

* * *

The next morning, Loki wakes up with his book carelessly discarded to one side of him; he must have been more tired than he realized.

Carefully, he closes it and smooths down the wrinkled cover before getting up, performing his morning routine, and going down to the kitchen to help with breakfast.

It is his day to cook, and he believes Clint is supposed to be helping him as well.

That will be nice; Loki likes Clint.

Just as he is about to leave the room, his phone chirps, and he goes over to pick it up.

It is a message from Darcy that reads, '_Have a nice day :)_'.

He responds quickly, '_You, too_.'

Then, leaving his phone in his room, he goes down to help with breakfast.

It is Clint whom he is supposed to be helping, and he is already in the kitchen, clad in nothing except for a pair of pajama pants, his feet bare.

He is humming as he mixes ingredients together in a large bowl, and Loki is careful to make noise as he walks; he does not want to startle Clint.

Turning, Clint smiles, "Morning, Loki. Wanna get started on the bacon? I figured pancakes would be good today."

"Of course."

Loki sets to work in companionable silence with Clint, and they soon have breakfast on the table.

"Hey, JARVIS, wake up all the sleepyheads, okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Barton."

Soon, the others are trooping through the doorway, also mostly in their pajamas, save Steve, who is usually awake early and dressed.

It makes Loki wonder if he ought to allow himself to become more relaxed with the others. After all, he is among friends.

They usually discuss their plans for the day over breakfast, and Loki is surprised to be asked, "Are you doing anything today?" by Natasha.

"No," he replies uncertainly; usually it is Thor or Bruce making an effort to include him in their conversation.

"Do you feel up to learning how to use some of our weaponry? I've been meaning to teach you guys, but it's slipped my mind." Loki sincerely doubts that anything slips Natasha's mind, and he wonders why she is exhibiting this sudden interest in him.

"Certainly. I would enjoy learning whatever you can teach me."

"That's settled, then. Clint, you'll help me teach, right? And Thor, I told you I'd teach you how to shoot a gun, too. Bruce, I know you've worked with Clint some, so you don't need to come if you don't want to."

"You did," Thor confirms, while Bruce politely opts out.

"We'll all meet downstairs in the range in about thirty minutes, okay?"

There is a chorus of yeses from those involved, and Natasha kisses Tony briefly before leaving the room, presumably going to get dressed and set up.

Bruce and Steve make plans to go out to a museum together since the others will presumably be occupied all morning, and Loki is glad to see the two of them getting along.

He had sensed some tensions between them upon his first arrival at the Tower, and although their relations have become more amiable, Loki does not often see them seek out the other's company.

And it is important for team members to get along, especially the team leader and one of his men.

They offer to do the dishes so that Clint, Loki, and Thor are not late for their appointment with Natasha, and although it was Thor's turn to do the dishes with Bruce, he gratefully accepts Steve's offer.

Natasha would not take well to tardiness, Loki thinks.

On their way out of the room, he catches Thor's arm. "Is my attire appropriate?"

"You seem fine, Loki. If something's wrong, Natasha will tell you, you can count on that."

"Thank you, Thor."

As they go down to the range, Thor flings an arm around Loki's shoulders, and Loki smiles, content to be here with his brother.

And the thought of the phone upstairs in his room serves to feed his happiness; he hopes to confirm a date with Darcy this evening once her classes are over, and he feels as though that is likely to happen.

But now, he must attend his lesson in Midgardian weaponry.

* * *

**Reviews make me happy...**

**Also, a little shameless self-promotion; I posted a Thor/Bruce oneshot (not related to this 'verse) called "Not That Kind of Doctor."**


	9. Future Planning

**Many thanks to my beta, dysprositos, for clarifying things and just being awesome in general.**

**Do y'all need an awkwardness warning? 'Cause I might...**

* * *

"_Ms. Lewis, Ms. Romanoff has returned and is asking for you." JARVIS's announcement broke the silence as Darcy moved around her room, sorting out her clothing. She had brought some of her lighter things back from school since she didn't need them and they were only taking up space in her dorm room, and waiting for Natasha to get back was as good a time as any to sort through them._

"_Uh, tell her I'm in here, please."_

"_Of course." A moment later, JARVIS added, "She is on her way."_

"_Thanks."_

_Darcy cleared off a space on the bed for Natasha to sit and then waited for the knock on her door. __She should probably have been talking to Steve about this, but she didn't want to disappoint Captain America, and Steve did a heartbreaking disappointment face._

_When it came, she called, "Come in," and smiled at Natasha._

"_Sorry about not being here; I got voted onto the detail that was taking some of the leftovers to the shelter."_

"_Hey, no problem."_

_Darcy turned her back to Natasha and continued putting her clothes away, pulling out some of her heavier jackets and tossing them on the bed._

_Natasha allowed the silence for a minute before she asked, "Is everything okay?"_

"_Yeah, it's all fine."_

"_Then what is all this about?"_

_Darcy paused, then said in a rush__, "I didn't say anything then__,__ 'cause there was no reason to rock the boat, and I'm only mentioning it now because I met someone better suited."_

_Calmly, "Darcy, I'm not following you. Better suited for what?"_

"_This whole PR job you guys gave me. I mean, I want to help and everything, but it's not really my thing. I don't have the right training, and it's stressful as fuck, Tasha. Plus I don't like bossing you guys around; you're my friends."_

"_I can see that."_

"_I was just gonna suck it up and come back after I've graduated, but I've been thinking I might go to grad school next fall, just take the one semester off. And I couldn't really do that and work for you guys at the same time; that would be like balancing two full time jobs and I couldn't do either one well. I owe you guys better than that, hell, I owe _myself_ better than that."_

"_That's perfectly understandable, Darcy. This is nothing personal, but I didn't like Steve just appointing you to the position. There was no time for you to think about it, too much pressure, and honestly, you didn't have the right qualifications for the job."_

_Darcy wasn't really bothered by hearing that; it was mostly what she had been thinking herself and she knew that Natasha didn't pull punches._

_Natasha continued, "You said you knew someone you would like to recommend for the position?"__  
_

"_Yeah. Her name's Kristina Maxwell, and she's a communications major. We have one of my upper division poli sci classes together, and she's wicked smart. Good with people and all that. She's graduating next month, too, but I know she hasn't gotten a job offer yet although she's been looking."_

"_You know, you don't have to suggest a replacement. You can just quit." _

"_Yeah, but I thought this might be nicer. So, uh, can you bring this up with the others? I kinda don't want to deal with it right now." __Or explain to Steve, she didn't say._

"_I can talk to the others about it, but we are going to need to talk to you again, probably, as well as get Ms. Jones's contact information from you."_

"_Sure, that sounds fine. I just, I feel like I'm letting you guys down, you know?"_

"_Darcy, it's fine. Honestly. We're all here because we've chosen to be, and you're no exception to that. Okay?"_

"_Okay," Darcy smiled._

"_Now, I have a question for you." There was a bit of mischief lurking in the corners of Natasha's smile._

"_Uh, shoot, I guess." A beat later, Darcy added, "Not literally, please!"_

_Natasha rolled her eyes, "I get that from Clint at least once a month; it hasn't been funny in a while."_

"_Sorry."_

_Waving a hand, Natasha asked, "What's going on with you and Loki? He's been acting differently lately, but only around you, not any of the rest of us."_

Damn_. Natasha was observant, but that was a question Darcy couldn't answer._

"_Honestly? I don't really know. I think he's flirting, but I'm not up on Asgardian courting rituals, and Bruce has managed to find the whole thing hilarious but __he __refuses to give me his opinion about what Loki's doing__. And obviously, I don't want to ask Thor or Loki."_

"_He does seem to be paying you special attention."_

"_No shit. I just don't know what to do about it, I mean, I'm going back to school the day after tomorrow, and he's gonna be here."_

"_Why don't you just ask him?" Natasha suggested. "What's the worst that can happen? He can say that he's not flirting, and then it's awkward for a couple days but you're leaving for another month and he'll be able to get over it then. I doubt he holds grudges, not now, anyway."_

_That really made sense. __Why couldn't she have thought of that?_

"_Okay, I think I'll do that. Thanks, Natasha. But what if he is? What do I do then?"_

"_You'll have to work that one out for yourself, Darcy. Is there any reason you shouldn't date him?"_

"_He's a murderer, he told me so himself."_

_A second later, Darcy realized just _who_ she was saying that to, and winced. "Sorry, Tasha. Nothing personal."_

_Natasha shrugged, not seeming to mind. __"It's fine. From what I've seen, Loki regrets what he's done. That doesn't magically make everything okay, but he is trying to atone for __it__, and it seems to me like he's made a good start. Speaking as someone in his shoes, I wake up every single day grateful for my second chance, and I can't imagine that things are much different with him."_

"_He's pretty much said that. Thanks again, Natasha. You're a great friend."_

_Something on Natasha's face shifted, and Darcy was hit with the impression that nobody had ever said that to Natasha before. So she walked across the room for a quick hug, trying to be comforting._

_Natasha smiled at her like she knew what Darcy was doing, but allowed it._

_After they broke apart, Natasha said, "All right, if that's everything, I'm going to head out. I'll wait and bring this up with the boys once you're gone, so you don't have to deal with them tracking you down and asking you about it."_

"_Thanks, Natasha."_

"_Quit saying that already," Natasha huffed, and then she left._

_It felt like a weight had been lifted off Darcy's chest; she had been dreading that conversation for days, but it hadn't gone so badly. Not at all._

* * *

Darcy is lying on her bed, working on her final paper, humming along to her iPod, when her phone buzzes.

It's a text from Natasha, wanting Kristina's contact information. Darcy had talked to Kristina a couple days earlier and had just said that she knew someone who might be looking for someone with Kris's background, and asked if it would it be okay for Darcy to give them her number and email.

Kris had smiled and obligingly scribbled down the information, so Darcy rolls over and grabs her backpack, digging the scrap of paper out of a side pocket, types it into her phone, and presses 'send.'

She's been back at school for over a week now, and frankly, she's surprised it's taken this long for her to hear from one of the others about her not wanting to work for them. Natasha may have waited a while to bring it up, though, probably gauging when would be the best time. That sounds like Natasha.

Natasha doesn't give her any indication how the others are taking it, just texting back a quick '_Thanks_.'

That makes Darcy a little worried, but she trusts that Natasha would let her know if there was anything major going on, and so she rolls over and goes back to her homework. She has plans to finish up for the evening soon and then watch a movie and maybe text Loki while she does that.

They had made plans for him to come down this coming weekend; as long as she sticks to her planned schedule, Darcy should just be wrapping up the editing on her paper then and she thinks she'll probably be able to enjoy the deviation from routine rather than stressing about the work she should be doing.

Loki. That was majorly unexpected. It still doesn't feel real, most of the time, but his texts are endearingly awkward and he seems genuinely excited to be coming down and seeing her.

Who would have ever thought? Not her, that's for sure, and sometimes Darcy wonders what her mom would think of Loki.

_Mom would probably like him, she always liked __my nicer boyfriends__. And Loki can certainly be charming when he wants to be_, Darcy thinks.

It hurts that she'll never have the answer for sure, and she sighs, shaking her head violently to get rid of the troublesome thoughts and refocusing on her paper.

* * *

The next day, Darcy rushes into Culver's cafeteria and grabs her lunch. She heads for a mostly empty table, needing to look over last night's reading assignment one more time before going to class; the professor was fond of pop quizzes and he rarely pulled his punches with those.

But almost immediately after she sits down, two seats across from her are occupied.

"Hi, Clint. Hey, Steve," Darcy greets them automatically, barely looking up from her notes, and then a second later jerks her head up, surprised.

"Clint! Steve! What the hell?" They've dressed like they're trying to blend in; Steve in a t-shirt and jeans under his leather jacket, his hair falling into his eyes; Clint wearing a hat pulled down over his hair and a denim jacket. It's adorable, and once Darcy finds out why they're here, she plans to tell them so.

"Hey there, Darce," Clint smiles, leaning forward.

"Does Natasha know you're here? Because I'm going to kill her if she knew and didn't warn me."

"Nope. I mean, she's probably figured it out by now, but we didn't tell anyone we were coming. You know why we're here? Well, really, why _he's_ here. I'm just along for the ride," Clint answers. "And I'd like to see you try and kill Natasha."

"You didn't like the job?" Steve interjects, on the verge of breaking out The Face.

"It's totally nothing personal, Steve, it's just that I didn't have the right skill set. And you guys are my friends, and I really hated bossing you around. 'Sides, you guys deserve the best, and I'm not that. Now, shut up and let me read this."

She sees Clint go to open his mouth out of the corner of her eye but Steve drives an elbow into his ribs and he doesn't say anything.

Darcy takes her time reading over her notes, absentmindedly taking a few bites of her sandwich.

Once she's through, she opens her bag of chips and says, "You guys can talk now, sorry. Pretty sure I'm gonna get hit with a pop quiz in class. You two look cute, by the way. Trying to go incognito?"

Clint laughs, "Yeah, isn't it working?"

Darcy ignores him in favor of Steve, who is speaking. "Darcy, I want you to know that I don't blame you for wanting to quit the job. Or for having Natasha talk to us instead of telling us yourself. I was, uh, very strongly informed of your reasons for both decisions, and I understand why you made them. And I owe you an apology for forcing the job on you in the first place." And there it is, there's The Face.

_Damn_.

"Steve, it's fine, honest. I wasn't cut out to be an astrophysics intern, and I managed that just fine, I could deal with PR for seven superheroes for a few weeks. And I'm sorry for Natasha beating you up."

"I kissed it better," Clint interjects with a straight face. Steve doesn't even try to deny either statement.

"I'm sure you did, Clint." Trying to change the subject, she asks, "So, are you heading back right after this?"

"Thought we might make an overnight trip out of it, actually," Clint smirks, casually tossing an arm around Steve, who leans into him.

"Well, you guys have fun with that. I need to eat, but feel free to talk at me."

Clint rambles about several different things, Steve occasionally interjecting to make a correction or point out that the prank that Tony foiled was due to Clint slipping up and not Natasha, the way Clint is trying to spin things. He pouts dramatically.

It's kind of nice; Darcy's lunch schedule doesn't overlap with any of her friends' since her classes start earlier in the morning, so she usually eats alone.

When she finishes eating, they stand up with her, and Steve says, "Uh, guess we'd better be going, then."

"C'mon, Steve, let's walk her to class. Between you'n'me, she'll be the talk of the school."

Darcy laughs but she allows them to take an arm on either side, Clint stealing her backpack to throw over his shoulder, and directs them to her building.

They drop her off at the front steps of the political science/philosophy/history building, and she waves goodbye as they head for wherever they've parked.

Fortunately, though, nobody seems to have noticed that Captain America and Hawkeye were escorting Darcy to class, and she takes her seat without any fuss.

* * *

After class, Kris comes rushing up to her, "Darcy! Your friends called, and I'm going up to New York for an interview this weekend!"

"Hey, that's great, Kris! Good luck!"

Kris winks at her and then heads back the other way, calling "'Bye!" over her shoulder as she goes.

Darcy smiles to herself and continues on to her study group.

* * *

A few days later, Darcy has her final paper all but done, just needing one last read-through before she goes to the computer lab to print it off, and she's anticipating seeing Loki tomorrow.

They've been texting nearly every day, and as they talk more, he's gotten more relaxed. He's even used a contraction or two in his messages, which made her laugh. And he hasn't mentioned her quitting the job, which is kind of weird, but maybe he just wants to talk about it in person. But Darcy doesn't dwell on that, Loki will explain in his own time.

Jess has noticed something different about her and tried to find out what it is, but Darcy doesn't want to talk about it, and eventually, bogged down with her own end of semester work, Jess had dropped it.

Darcy doubts that she and Jess would be keeping in touch after this semester; Jess isn't graduating and they have never been particularly close, besides.

So to keep Jess off her back, Darcy mentally catalogues her clothes and picks out an outfit that way rather than physically getting it out of her tiny closet.

Then she goes to bed early after sending one last text, '_See you tomorrow!_'

* * *

The next day is Saturday, and Darcy wakes up at a good time and goes to get breakfast, coming back to her dorm to get ready.

Jess is out, fortunately, and Darcy doesn't have to explain why she's taking so much time to get ready when she usually only throws on a pair of sweats on Saturdays.

The trick to getting ready is to look like she actually didn't spend so much time stressing over everything, and when she's finally all done, she inspects herself in the mirror and thinks that she's achieved that.

Darcy doesn't know _why_ she's so nervous about going out with Loki, it's not like this is her first date or anything.

But it is her first date with an alien prince from another realm, and she's just Darcy. Nothing impressive, just Darcy.

But she likes Loki, they're friends, for fuck's sake, and she's not about to chicken out, so she squares her shoulders, nods to her reflection, and leaves her dorm, waving to the poor sucker stuck working the desk on a Saturday.

She's supposed to meet Loki at one of the exits to the school so they can go have lunch in town. They'd originally been thinking dinner, but they'd decided on lunch so that Loki doesn't have to drive back to the Tower with whoever's bringing him late at night.

It's probably Bruce bringing him, Darcy figures. He would know exactly where to come, after all.

Despite making herself wait until a reasonable time to leave her dorm, she still gets to the gate a few minutes early and pulls her hat down more firmly over her ears in response to the chill in the air.

That was one of the few things she liked about New Mexico, the heat. It was warm there every day.

But she's used to it, so she just pulls out her phone to make sure she hasn't missed any messages (Loki had texted her that morning when he was leaving, but she hadn't replied; she was still asleep). She hasn't, and she's soon out of things to do, just people watching and waiting.

But a car pulls up in front of her right on time, and Loki hurries out of the vehicle, coming over to her.

"Hey, Loki," she says.

"Darcy." He seems like he's trying to figure out what else to say, but he's having trouble.

So she smiles brightly. "Glad to see you!"

"And I you. Are you cold? Come," he beckons her over to the car, opening the back door for her and allowing her to slide inside.

"Hiya, Bruce," she says to the back of his head as Loki gets back into the passenger's seat.

"Hey, Darcy. Where to, kids?" Bruce seems to be enjoying this, maybe a little too much.

"Uh, I don't know." Darcy had kind of figured they could just walk around until they found someplace that looked good, but maybe that's not what Loki wants to do.

"There's a good Chinese place a few streets over, if they're still open," Bruce suggests.

"Works for me," Darcy replies brightly. "Loki?"

He hasn't said much, but he's buckled his seatbelt and twisted around to look at her. "I believe I would enjoy this place as well."

"Alrighty then." Bruce starts the car and pulls away from the curb.

It feels like she's thirteen again and being picked up by Bobby Walker's mom to go to a movie together.

Darcy wants to talk to Bruce, doesn't want to ignore Loki, doesn't know the proper date protocol here. Bobby's mom had provided most of the conversation, asking Darcy about school, but Bruce isn't doing that.

After a minute of awkward silence, Darcy asks, "What are you going to do here, Bruce?"

He laughs, "Don't worry, I'm not sticking around with you two. I'm going to see an old friend here, actually. Haven't seen him since I was on the run a few years back. And Thor's flying down later, I think. Loki absolutely refused to bring his brother along on a date."

Darcy sees Loki blush, and she has to force herself to not laugh. He protests, "Bruce!" and then she has to laugh along with Bruce.

Loki begins to talk about his planned trip to Asgard the next week, which he had mentioned in a text, trying to drown out their laughter.

It seems like a little soon for him to be going back, but apparently Thor and Loki's mom wants to keep a close eye on Bruce and Thor's wedding planning.

Darcy can't really blame her; she wouldn't trust those two to plan a wedding.

Although why _Loki's_ the one going instead of Thor, she doesn't know.

So she asks, "Why're you going? Seems like Thor should be going instead."

"I want to talk to my mother about something, and I do not mind conveying Thor's messages."

They arrive at the restaurant, and Darcy leans over the console to give Bruce a quick hug before sliding out of the car when Loki opens her door.

He holds the door of the restaurant, too, and then helps her take her coat off. That's kind of nice of him, actually, usually she has to struggle out of it while juggling her purse, which is challenging, but his help makes it easier.

They get a booth and slide into opposite sides, looking at the menus. After they've placed their orders, Loki asks, "Did you finish your paper? You mentioned several days ago that it was almost done, but you have not brought it up since."

"Just about," Darcy smiles.

"I am glad to hear that. I know you have been working hard on it."

"Yeah, that's just about the last big thing for me. I just have to get through a few exams and then I'm all done."

"Have you given any thought to what schools you would be interested in after this?"

That's a sneaky way to bring up what Darcy had told Natasha who then told everyone else, but Darcy doesn't mind.

Loki continues, "I understand that graduate school takes less time than obtaining a bachelor's degree."

He's obviously been doing some research, and the thought makes Darcy happy. He cares enough to not just expect her to explain everything, and that's really nice. And she still hasn't quite decided if she wants a Master's or a PhD, so his information isn't wrong.

"If I can go to school in New York, I'd love to. But it kind of depends on what kind of grants I get and stuff. I'm going to need to work on applying soon, a lot of schools have deadlines that close soon, or already have. I'm probably going to be limited by only being able to apply to the ones that are still open."

"That is understandable. It would be nice to have you in New York," he says, and then adds, "But of course I have no say in your decision."

That's good to hear. She doesn't know how relationships work on Asgard, but she's not about to take any of his shit if he tries to give her any.

Then they shift the conversation away from school to other things like Thor and Bruce's wedding (Thor has asked Loki to stand with him, which seems equivalent to the custom of Best Man) and what Loki's been doing (learning how to use guns from Natasha, which is something he hasn't mentioned, and getting better acquainted with everyone in general).

They both like the food, and Darcy has a good time. Most of the stiffness that Loki had shown at the beginning of their date dissolves by the end, and they laugh over her accurate fortune cookie; 'You will soon be going on a great journey.'

"Yeah, to Asgard for the wedding, although I wouldn't call that a 'journey,'" she says, showing him the slip of paper.

They leave the restaurant after an almost-argument about paying (Darcy wins, and they split the bill, but mostly because she fights dirty, pulling her best puppy-dog eyes) and wander around for a bit, just looking in windows. Then they see Thor and Bruce sitting at a table with a dark-haired woman and another man in a coffee shop, and Darcy drags Loki away before they're seen.

"I think that's Bruce's old girlfriend," she explains, and Loki's eyes go wide.

But it's cold and they don't have much to do, so they walk back to her school, and she takes him to the library, where he marvels at the amount of books they have on their shelves while she trails after him.

Asgard apparently gets some of the Earth classics, and Loki admits to being quite fond of Shakespeare, which Darcy laughs about.

They stay there until her phone buzzes with Bruce looking for Loki so that they can go home, and Darcy walks Loki out to the gate where they'd met earlier so Bruce can pick him up.

Loki initiates a hug, surprising Darcy (she's always been the one to start them before, and even with Thor, Loki usually waits to be hugged before he hugs back), and they part on good terms, Darcy walking back to her dorm humming under her breath.

It was a good first date.

* * *

**Review, or Steve makes The Face. Please?**


	10. Stunning

**Many thanks to my amazing beta, dysprositos, for putting up with my complete lack of knowledge about graduation ceremonies and for just being wonderful in general.**

**Uh, cute warning? Maybe?**

* * *

Darcy nervously straightens her gown in the bathroom mirror, waiting to go out and join her classmates at graduation. She'd fussed with her hair for an hour that morning, trying to get it to look perfect under her cap, and she thinks it's just about right now. She brushes the tassel out of her eyes and takes a deep breath in the mirror.

It's only the second graduation she's been to, after all, and she feels like her nerves are pretty reasonable. It's the first graduation where she has anyone in the audience, though. Her mom had died a few months before Darcy graduated from high school, but she'd already been 18 then so she was able to get by alone. She'd seriously considered skipping it when the order forms for the supplies started circulating, but her friends and the guidance counselor had talked her into going, and later, she was glad that they had.

But her uncle hadn't been able to make it into town for the ceremony so soon after taking off work for her mom's funeral, and Darcy figures that's one of the reasons they've lost touch. She didn't even send him a graduation announcement this time.

And of course Darcy's never known her father.

But the whole contingent of Avengers are out there for her today. It's a good feeling, knowing that. She might not have come otherwise; one graduation all by herself seems like enough for a lifetime.

But they're here, and she's here, and she's going to do this.

Squaring her shoulders, she marches out of the bathroom, past the other girls still fixing themselves up, and finds her fellow BS recipients standing under their banner. Darcy had decided against taking a foreign language and had just focused on what she wanted to do, which was one of the reasons she was graduating in December instead of May and with a BS instead of a BA.

Well, that and the courses she'd been forced to drop her first semester had held her back, meaning that she couldn't graduate last May with the rest of her incoming freshman class.

But she couldn't be too bitter about that; without having needed those science credits, she would have never worked with Jane. And if she'd never worked with Jane, she never would have met the Avengers.

Even though she and Jane don't get along personally, Darcy can respect what Jane does. Just not her methods, how she's scatter-brained and reliant on having a sane person around to make sure that she doesn't collapse from exhaustion or dehydration or starvation.

That had been too much stress for Darcy, and had been one of the reasons she was eager to leave Jane. At the same time, she'd worried about leaving her alone because Jane didn't seem capable of taking care of herself.

Which was why she'd stayed with Jane, extending her internship past the one semester it was supposed to last, taking classes online for the first term before dropping her second term classes when she went to New York.

Shaking her head to focus on what's going on now, Darcy strikes up a conversation with some of the other graduates.

The hall where they're waiting to march out is crowded, but Darcy catches a glimpse of Kristina and waves.

Kris's interview with the Avengers (probably just Natasha and Steve, now that Darcy thinks about it—letting Tony or Clint loose would have likely scared Kris off) had gone well, and she'd been hired. They were partially there today to cheer her, too, but Darcy had been reassured in about four different text conversations that she was still their favorite and the main reason they were there.

She hadn't really needed to hear that, but that didn't make it any less nice.

A hush falls over the graduates as they're signaled to neaten their lines for the procession into the auditorium, and Darcy turns around to face the front, brushing the tassel away from her face again.

The process of marching in and taking her seat is a blur, and Darcy's trying to scan the stands for her friends without being obvious about turning her head, figuring that she could at least spot Thor, but she doesn't see them in the crowded seat to the sides and she doesn't want to turn around.

The speeches wash over her head, words running together. Darcy doubts that anyone in the room is actually giving the speaker their full attention, except for maybe Loki. He's a stickler for rules, for sure.

Listening to the long list of names is tedious, but when Kris's name is called, Darcy hears a cheer go up, and she does turn her head to look at the crowd then. But it's not the Avengers cheering, just Kris's family, so Darcy faces front again.

Of course, families aren't _supposed_ to be cheering, there are rules about that in the programs they're given, but there's really no way to stop them.

The ceremony continues, and then people begin rising from their seats in her row to proceed to the front of the auditorium, and Darcy obediently gets up to join the line along the wall.

The names continue, and then they reach Darcy's group and she stands up a little straighter, expectant.

As she gets closer and closer to the stage, she starts to worry, turning slightly to look out over the audience. Where are her friends? Did something happen that meant they couldn't come? Did someone attack? No, everyone here seems too calm for that.

She wants to pull out her phone and see if there are any messages, but that just seems rude. Besides, she's standing in a very visible spot and she doesn't want to seem bored with the goings-on.

But she calms down as she continues to move forward. If they can't make it, then there's surely a good explanation. They're good people, wouldn't just tell her they were coming and not show up without reason.

And there _are_ a lot of people here, maybe she just can't see them. She isn't particularly tall, and even in heels, seeing over the heads of her fellow graduates can be a challenge.

She begins to climb the stairs of the stage, waiting as the person in front of her goes across, and then her name is called and a raucous cheer comes from one of the back corners of the auditorium. Thor's voice is easy to pick out from the crowd, lower than everyone else's.

Squinting out there as she crosses the stage to shake the president's hand and take her diploma stand-in (trying to keep track of the real thing for so many students would be a logistical nightmare, and they'll be mailing them out next week instead), she manages to spot her whole group of friends on their feet, even Loki, who is so clearly breaking the rules for her.

Smiling, she takes the rolled-up piece of paper and turns to face the photographer, holding the president's handshake and waiting. When she's signaled to move, she takes her piece of paper and climbs off the stage carefully, going back to her seat.

Why was she so worried, again? It seems silly now.

And then when the ceremony's over and the graduates are released to find their families, Darcy wades through the chaos until she's out of the worst of it, and waits.

Bruce, Natasha, and Loki are the first ones to find her, Clint hovering slightly back.

Those three all move in for a hug at the same time, and Darcy winds up trying to wrap her arms around three people at once before Natasha and Bruce step back, leaving Loki to pick Darcy up and twirl her around.

"Hey, I was gonna do that," Clint complains, but Darcy ignores him, smiling at Loki instead.

After Loki sets her down, Bruce hugs her more gently, whispering, "Your mom would be proud of you, Darce."

Natasha moves in, followed by Clint, who wraps his arms around them both, squeezing tight. Natasha explains, "Steve, Thor, and Tony got waylaid for autographs." She laughs, "The last I saw, someone was giving Tony a baby to hold for a picture. He looked completely horrified. Guess they're more recognizable than we are."

Neither Bruce nor she seems to mind, though Clint is pouting slightly—and the way he's trying to hide it means that it's a serious concern—until his phone vibrates in his hand and he hurries off into the crowd, calling, "My public needs me!"

Natasha rolls her eyes fondly and says, "Come on, let's get out of here before we're crushed to death."

Darcy would like to see the crowd that would dare attempt to crush Natasha Romanoff.

But she's can't go out without her coat, so she says, "I left my jacket in the back, give me a minute to go grab it," and hands her fake diploma to Loki to hold for her.

In the back, she waves to a few familiar faces and quickly struggles out of her gown, folding it over an arm and taking her cap off her head. Then, picking up her coat from the piles of coats on chairs against the wall, she leaves Culver for what is probably the last time, finding the others back where she'd left them and handing her things to Loki to hold again as she pulls on her coat and tries to take her cap and gown back from him. He doesn't give them up, simply follows Natasha to the door. Throwing her hands up in the air, Darcy rolls her eyes at his back and heads after the group, going out to the parking garage.

They wait, Darcy curled into Loki's side in the backseat, her gown spread over her legs for the meager warmth it provides, the tassel from her cap wrapped idly around one of her fingers. And they wait some more, until Natasha pulls out her phone and sends a text, that, whatever it says, has Tony scurrying to the car practically towing Clint along, Steve and Thor following more sedately in their wake.

"Are you hungry, Darcy?" Steve asks, bracing a hand on the car and poking his head in Bruce's open door.

"I mean, I could eat, but not really."

"Anyone else?" he turns to include the others.

Nobody is, and so Steve decides, "Let's head home and we can stop on the way when we're hungry." He climbs into the other car with Thor, Clint, and Tony, who appears to attempt to make a grab for the driver's seat but is soundly rebuffed and sent to the back with Clint, who points at him, probably accompanied by a rude comment.

Darcy laughs.

"What?" Loki asks.

Lazily, Darcy points out the window at Tony, now dramatically pouting as he climbs in the back of the car.

"Oh," Loki says.

Darcy pulls away long enough to put on her seatbelt and then curls back into Loki. He's surprisingly warm, and the car hasn't warmed up yet. And Loki doesn't seem to mind; in fact, he has a rather silly smile on his face, but Darcy's not about to point that out to him. When she meets Bruce's eyes in the rearview mirror, she gives him a stern glare, warning him that he had better not ruin the moment.

Wisely, he turns around to face the front, and Natasha follows the others out of the garage.

They swing by Darcy's dorm to grab her last suitcase (Bruce has to go out and get it, Darcy refuses to get up) and then head north, towards home.

* * *

They stop for dinner somewhere in Pennsylvania, and it's dark by the time they get back to the car. Darcy curls back into Loki, pulling her jacket higher around her ears, and she must fall asleep because the next thing she remembers is being lightly shaken awake and helped out of the car.

But she's still half-asleep, and someone picks her up. She curls into them and Loki says, "Go back to sleep, we're home."

Loki has her, then. That's nice.

In her room, he sets her gently on her bed and takes her shoes off.

Someone says softly, "I've got it from here, thanks, Loki," and a light kiss is laid on Darcy's forehead before she's being tugged back upright by a different pair of hands.

Blinking her eyes open, Darcy sees Natasha, who is undoing the buttons on Darcy's jacket. Darcy raises her hands to help, and Natasha backs off.

Slowly, Darcy gets out of her clothes and Natasha hands over her pajamas, and then Natasha directs Darcy to the bathroom, giving her the bag of toiletries from her suitcase on the way.

Blearily, Darcy goes through the motions and then turns the light off, going out and crawling under her covers. Natasha's still there, probably making sure Darcy doesn't do something stupid like fall in the sink and drown herself, and Darcy appreciates that.

"Thanks, Tasha," she mumbles, and Natasha laughs lightly.

"Goodnight, Darcy," she says, shutting the door behind her as she leaves.

Darcy rolls over to get more comfortable, and goes back to sleep.

* * *

A few days later, she's mostly caught up on her sleep and narrowing down her list of grad schools, editing a few essays and considering her options. Fortunately, she'd taken the GRE on a whim about a year ago when she had some downtime to study for it, so she doesn't have to worry about that.

Ideally, she'd like to stay in New York, and she still has two open deadlines that she can probably meet. But her options are dependent on grants, really, and she can't make any decisions now.

She hasn't been spending much time with the others, not even Loki. She's been kind of waiting for him to come to her, really.

But if she looks at one more admission statistic today, she's going to scream, so she shuts the lid of her laptop and stands up, heading out to find something else to do.

Loki's door is ajar, slightly, and she knocks. When there's no answer, she pokes her head in, but he's not in there.

Shrugging, she heads to the common floor, padding into the elevator in her sock feet.

Steve and Clint are playing video games on the big TV in the living room, and Natasha's curled up in a chair with a book.

She looks up when Darcy comes into the room, and says, "Thor and Bruce are out, if you're looking for them."

"No, I was looking for Loki, actually."

"He is in the gym, Ms. Lewis," JARVIS interjects.

"Thanks, JARVIS." She hadn't gotten back in the habit of talking to the AI, and sometimes she just wanted to go looking without his assistance. "Uh, see you later, Tasha, guys."

"'Bye, Darce," Clint calls, and then yells, angry, "What the fuck, Steve?"

Darcy leaves them to it, going down to the gym. She's not sure what Loki's doing in there, as he didn't exercise when she was with them during the summer, but of course it has been a while and habits do change.

She finds him sitting cross-legged in front of one of the big mirrors, focusing on his reflection.

_Magic, then_, she decides, and knocks on the open door to let him know that she's there. Startling a magician is probably a pretty bad idea, especially when they're practicing.

Looking over his shoulder, he catches sight of her and his whole face changes, lights up. Darcy will admit that's goddamn gratifying, and hopes that he can tell she's happy to see him as well.

"Hey, Loki," she says, going in and plopping down on the mat next to him.

"Darcy," he smiles. "I was just getting ready to come look for you. I have a question for you."

He doesn't say anything else, and Darcy gives him a minute before going, "Okay?"

"Are you interested in attending a play with me?"

"I'd love to, but aren't those things sold out months in advance?"

Loki twists his fingers together and then holds out two tickets to her wordlessly.

"Did you seriously just magic those up? 'Cause I don't think that's exactly allowed."

"No, they were in my room. Tony and Natasha helped me acquire them."

"Taking my acceptance for granted, huh?"

"I suppose I was. I apologize."

"No, it's fine. Tasha probably could've told you I would enjoy something like this. So, are we going out for dinner, too?"

"If you wish."

"I do. Uh, if you don't mind."

"Of course not. Do you want to go do something now? I was just practicing, but I can do that at any time."

"You sure I wouldn't be interrupting?"

Loki stands up and reaches down his empty hand to help her up in response. He moves the other one and the tickets disappear.

They begin to walk out of the gym, and Darcy asks, "Wait, when are we going?"

"Tomorrow, I believe."

"Damn, I didn't think getting tickets that close to time was possible."

"Tony said that 'nothing is impossible,'" Loki quotes gravely. "I can think of several things that would be unsurpassable obstacles for him, but I felt it was best to not tell him that."

"Tony's definitely egotistical, yeah. But it was nice of him to help you."

They go upstairs and grab the Monopoly board out of the living room where Loki says he played it last with Thor and Bruce. Clint and Steve are still hollering insults at each other in front of the TV, so Darcy suggests, "Why don't we go up to my room and play? Quieter in there."

"Certainly."

They settle onto the floor of her room, Loki resting his back against her bed and Darcy sprawled out on the floor on her stomach.

And when she wins, almost easily, she's instantly suspicious that Loki threw the game, but they've been having such a good time that she doesn't say anything.

* * *

"Loki, are you ready?" Darcy leans against the wall outside Loki's door the next evening. "Come on, or we'll miss our reservations!"

She never would have thought she'd be the first one ready out of the two of them, but she apparently is, and she smooths a hand down her shirt nervously. She's wearing a pretty blouse with slacks and high heels, her coat draped over an arm.

Finally, Loki comes out of his room. "I apologize."

"You were messing with your hair," Darcy states, looking him up and down and noticing its arrangement.

"...Yes," he blushes a little. "Shall we?"

"Your hair is cute," Darcy can't resist teasing as she takes his offered arm.

"I like yours, too," he reaches over to tug on a loose curl carefully.

"Okay, let's go before Thor and Bruce come do something embarrassing. There was conspiratorial whispering in a corner earlier, y'know."

"That is most definitely something to be avoided," he agrees, picking up the pace.

They make it out of the building and into a taxi without incident, and they both breathe almost simultaneous sighs of relief. Bruce has already proven that he has the potential to be embarrassing, and Darcy's certain that Thor can be as well. She's pretty sure it comes with the territory of being a big brother.

Something occurs to her, then, and she looks up at Loki. "So you told Tony we were dating?"

"I did. I hope that's not an issue?"

"No, no, it's cool. Guess we'd better tell Steve and Clint at some point so they don't feel left out."

"I agree."

"It's like dating with six chaperones around, though, god. Weird."

"Not too terrible, though, I hope?"

"Fishing for compliments, mister?"

Loki just blinks at her until she sighs. "'Course it's not so bad. You've met me, am I shy about complaining?"

"I suppose you are not."

"Glad we've got that settled."

They arrive at the restaurant, and Darcy pays the cab driver as Loki slides out of the vehicle. Then, she takes his arm and echoes his words from earlier, "Shall we?"

It's a good thing they made reservations because the restaurant is crowded, but they're seated immediately. Darcy scans the menu and is able to pick out what she wants to order immediately, but Loki takes a minute longer.

She opts to skip drinking, wanting to be able to appreciate the play sober, and Loki follows her example, just asking for water.

Once they've ordered their food, Darcy reaches her hand across the table and Loki obligingly takes it.

"What is this?" he asks.

"I always wanted to try this. People do it in movies all the time, and it looks uncomfortable. And guess what, it is!"

"I will admit to some discomfort, as well."

"Let's keep our hands to ourselves, then."

"Let's." They disengage their fingers and pull back to their sides of the table.

Darcy rolls her shoulder and relaxes back.

"So, Loki, what are your future plans? I mean, you know I'm probably going to grad school, but I don't know what you plan to do, hell, even just next week."

He takes a minute to consider his answer. "I have no definite plans. In part, I believe my plans depend on Thor's. One of us should return to Asgard on a more permanent basis soon; it is not fair to my parents to expect them to carry on without assistance."

"That makes sense. But what do _you_ want to do?"

"Ideally, I want to have a purpose again. I was asked to join the Avengers, but it does not seem as though they—we—are needed."

"I get that."

"I was hoping you would."

"So what you're saying is that you really don't know?"

"That is correct."

"Well, I don't know, either. We make a good pair, don't we?"

Loki smiles brightly. "We do."

Their food comes, and conversation takes a lighter turn after that, talking about Loki's education (Asgard's school system is _fascinating_) and discussing Darcy's family a little more in depth.

Loki had known that her mother was dead, but he didn't realize that she didn't talk to any other relatives, apparently. That seems to bother him a little, but Darcy thinks it's more sadness for her than annoyance.

She will be meeting his parents at the wedding (whether they're still together then or not, a negative voice whispers inside her head), and she thinks that's something to look forward to.

They almost throw down over the bill, both glaring, but Darcy wins that fight after conceding that Loki can pay for the taxi to the theater, and they split the charge.

The play is good, maybe not something Darcy would have picked out herself, but enjoyable nonetheless. She twines her fingers through his a few minutes in, and even though they're sitting in the dark, his answering grin is plain. Probably his stupid perfect white teeth.

She curls into him on the ride home, and something prompts her to ask, "So, are we officially dating now?"

"I believe we are, yes. Is this a custom of yours?"

"Basically it means that we're not seeing other people."

"I would never," Loki seems offended, and Darcy giggles.

"I was just explaining, sheesh. So, you're my boyfriend. I can't wait to see the look on Clint's face when I tell him that."

"It will certainly be interesting. I wonder how long it will take for him to think up a smart remark?"

"Wanna bet?"

"If it takes him longer than a minute, I get to pay for the next date. You will not complain." Someone's taught Loki how to bet, Darcy notes. It was probably Clint, which is ironic.

"And if he comes up with one in under a minute, uh, you use contractions when you talk. For a whole day."

The indignity of that proposal shows on Loki's face, but he agrees, and they shake on it.

At the Tower, they take the elevator up to their floor and walk down the hall together, parting outside their rooms together.

Loki starts to turn into his door after saying goodnight, but Darcy calls "Loki?" and he turns back around.

She slides a hand into his hair (which has hardly moved out of place all evening, what the hell is he using on it?) and pulls him down to her level, standing on her tiptoes.

Then she kisses him full on the mouth quickly. "Goodnight!" she chirps, releasing him and going into her room.

The look on his face as she peeks around the crack in the door a moment later, to see him still frozen in the hall, is priceless.

Does that mean she gets to go down in history as the woman who tased one demigod and stunned another?

The way she figures it, she does.

* * *

**The end is near; more on that next week!**

**Thoughts?**


	11. Ducks in a Row

**A massive thank you to my beta, dysprositos, for being continually amazing and putting up with me.**

**Warning for a small, non-detailed fight scene and some slight carnage, I suppose.**

* * *

Darcy's diploma arrives, and Loki watches her rip into the envelope with a bright smile on her face. He exclaims over it with her, one hand resting on her hip, doing his best to distract her from the fact that Bruce has quietly left the room.

Bruce comes back with Thor and a flat, wrapped package, which he hands to Darcy. She hands her diploma to Loki so that she can take Bruce's gift.

"It's nothing fancy, Darce, but it's from all three of us."

She tears off the wrapping paper to reveal a black frame for her diploma; Loki had gone out with Thor and Bruce to purchase it earlier in the week.

Bruce continues, "I hope we got the right size; we used my diploma as a reference but it's been a while."

Darcy snorts, "Calling yourself old, doc? I didn't know you had your diploma—diploma_s_—here."

"Betty had been holding onto a few things for me, and I picked them up when I brought Loki down for your little _rendezvous_."

"Shut your mouth, you're marrying his fucking brother and you two are too precious for words."

Thor starts to say something to that, but Loki intervenes, "Shall we go see if your diploma will fit in the frame, Darcy? Thor and Bruce can find some other way to amuse themselves, certainly."

Darcy turns back as they are walking out of the room and sticks her tongue out at Thor and Bruce; Loki has to suppress a laugh. It is a childish sentiment, to be sure, but one that he can agree with.

In her room, Darcy carefully fits her diploma inside the frame, and she smiles, "It fits!"

"I am pleased."

"Uh, uh, use your contractions. You know you lost our bet about Clint."

Loki sighs, but does as he is ordered. "_I'm_ pleased. Are you happy now?" Perhaps he sounds a tad petulant, but he had been certain of his victory. If only Clint had not been so quick with his tongue, but as Darcy had said, 'a bet is a bet.'

"Completely." She turns with the frame in her hands to begin inspecting the walls for a place to hang it, presumably, and Loki offers, "Would you like for me to go ask Tony for a hammer and a nail?"

"Would you? And it's two nails, actually."

"Yes, Darcy. I'll be right back."

She grins, probably because he remembered to use a contraction, and Loki goes upstairs to ask Tony for the supplies.

* * *

Tony is just digging the nails out of a drawer in his workshop, cracking a joke about Loki and Darcy, when the Avengers Assemble alarm that he had set up months ago when everyone was getting settled in goes off.

Everyone runs for the hangar that houses Clint and Natasha's Quinjet, which had been a gift from SHIELD after they had gotten their new leadership hierarchy worked out. An apology present, almost, but it has its uses, and they had drilled about getting to it while Darcy had been in school earlier in the fall for about a month before Steve had been satisfied with their response times.

They are quickly en route, and they have a video conference with Director Hill as they fly, receiving what information she has on the situation.

Which is not much of a situation yet; she explains that a portal is opening on the other side of the city, but very slowly. Loki is asked why that is, as the resident magician, and he explains that without the Tesseract, opening a portal is going to be taxing work, and from the sound of it, only one sorcerer is working on this portal.

It is just expanding to its full size when they arrive, Steve barking orders as they spill out of the jet. Bruce hangs back, and Loki takes his arm and tugs him along to the edge of the roof where he can work to close the portal. Loki knows that Bruce will not want to 'Hulk out' unless the situation requires it, and if Loki works quickly enough, that will be unnecessary.

But he must wait until whatever is coming through has passed fully through the interdimensional rift or else his spell will be thrown off, and he focuses all of his concentration on tracking the intruder's progress.

It turns out to be one large animal, something Loki takes a quick glance at but does not recognize. Moving his hands rapidly, he pushes the portal shut and, seizing the caster's signature from his spellwork, prevents him from opening yet another portal into New York.

Bruce grabs Loki's elbow as he steps back, and Loki realizes that his face must be haggard. They step back from the edge of the roof and peer over the side. Down at street level, Steve and Thor are working together to subdue the creature, and everyone else is hanging back but alert.

Finally, Thor strikes the killing blow, and the animal stills. Loki, his internal balance sorted after that complicated spell, levitates himself and Bruce down to their level, going to inspect the animal as Bruce crosses to Thor.

There are no injuries, and they bundle the unfamiliar animal for transport by SHIELD as Tony calls in the successful kill and the closure of the portal to Director Hill.

SHIELD agents arrive on the scene shortly and take the carcass away, presumably for study.

"Let's go home," Steve says, leading the way back to the jet, smiling and waving to the assembled crowd of onlookers.

They all follow him, and inside the jet, Loki cannot escape Thor's searching eye as his brother inspects him for any damage.

After enduring Thor's staring for a moment, Loki says quietly, "I am fine. Do stop gawking so, you make yourself appear even more boorish than usual."

Thor rolls his eyes, a very human action he has to have picked up from one of their friends, but tips his head onto Bruce's shoulder, closing his eyes. Loki knows, though, that if he exhibits any indication that he is not well after using magic, Thor will be unendurable.

So Loki keeps his posture neat and starts up a conversation with Natasha, who is sitting next to him, as Clint is piloting the jet.

When they land on the roof of Stark Tower, Darcy hurries out to meet them, running to Loki, who barely has time to open his arms before she is in them.

"Everyone's okay?" Darcy asks, looking around, although she has yet to release Loki. He bends his face down to hide his pleased smile in her hair, not wanting to seem like too much of a lovesick fool.

The team chimes in, reassuring her that they are fine, and Loki remains silent, but she can probably tell that he is well due to their proximity.

She tells Steve, "I called Kristina. She says she'll come up for a few days."

They had previously agreed that their new employee, Darcy's friend Kristina, would go home to be with her family through the upcoming winter holidays before joining them in New York. Tony has begun construction on a room for her several floors down, creating what looks to be a state of the art office for their new public relations manager.

"Thank you, Darcy," Steve replies. "That's good of her, and I appreciate you thinking to do that."

The team begins to disperse, Clint moving the jet back into the hangar, and Darcy looks up at Loki's face.

"I haven't heard anything from you, mister."

"I could eat." Then Loki turns to Steve, who has yet to leave. "Could I see you for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right there," Steve replies, and Darcy catches hold of Loki's sleeve to lead him to the kitchen.

His armor is growing uncomfortable, so he switches it out for the clothing he was wearing previously, and the fabric ripples under Darcy's fingertips.

"Hey, that tingled!" she laughs.

In the kitchen, she shoves him lightly towards a chair as she opens the refrigerator and pulls out the leftovers from dinner the night before.

She heats them up for him even though he had moved to do it himself, leaning on the back of his chair after she hands his plate over, and he begins to devour the food as Steve comes into the kitchen.

"What is it, Loki?" Steve asks, taking a seat next to Loki at the small kitchen table.

Loki neatly finishes chewing and then swallows before responding, "I wish to ask your SHIELD if they would like for me to create a barrier preventing the opening of portals into your realm."

"Well, wouldn't that keep you and Thor grounded here? Mean you couldn't go home?"

"I will work in a loophole allowing for my mother and father's magical signatures, and for that of the Bifrost and the Tesseract. And mine, I suppose."

"That's a good idea, Loki. But I don't think we should necessarily ask SHIELD. No offense, but they don't really trust you right now."

"I understand that."

"So I think you should go ahead and do it. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, in my opinion. They can be too narrow-minded, for sure."

"I can cast the spell tonight; it will be easier in darkness," Loki offers, not bothered by Steve's suggestion of subterfuge. He respects Steve's opinion, or he might have gone ahead and done the spell before mentioning it to Steve.

Steve smiles, "Do it, then. And thanks for suggesting it. It'll sure make our jobs easier."

"You are welcome."

Darcy clears her throat and pokes the back of his head with a finger, and Loki amends, "You're welcome."

Steve leaves the room and Loki finishes his food, getting up to clean the plate off and glaring at Darcy when she tries to help.

Once that is finished, he suggests, "Should I go get those nails from Tony now?"

"Sure. Let's get this thing hung."

Loki retrieves the hammer and nails from Tony's empty workshop, making sure to leave a message with JARVIS so that Tony is informed of his tools being borrowed.

In Darcy's room, he gives her the tools and offers his opinion as she decides where to hang her new diploma. Eventually, she decides to hang it facing her bed, so that she can see it easily.

That is a rather high spot, so Loki does the actual hanging while Darcy laughs at the fact that even he has to stretch to his tiptoes to reach.

They spend most of the rest of the day together after returning Tony's hammer, and Loki eats a large dinner in preparation for what he must do that evening.

After they have eaten, he goes to his room and locates the spellbook he will need, making the necessary modifications to the spell and memorizing it.

Then, he heads up to the roof, settling himself comfortably near the side and crossing his legs. He takes a deep breath and starts casting the spell on the exhale.

The sky darkens as he works, and he finally cuts the connection between himself and the spell about twenty minutes later.

He feels a brief twinge of elasticity as the spell settles into place, and then Loki rises heavily to his feet, going back inside.

A little unsteady on his feet, he almost walks into Darcy before he can stop himself, and she laughs, slipping under his arm to steady him.

She takes him to his room and hands him a plate of sandwiches she had obviously put in there, and she keeps up a steady stream of light chatter as he eats.

This is almost exactly what Thor used to do for him before Loki began resisting what he saw as Thor's interference, and Loki suspects that Darcy has been talking to his brother. It is endearing, and Loki smiles at her between bites.

When he is done, she takes the plate from his hands and orders, "Go to bed, mister. I'll see you in the morning."

Loki tips his face up to her, and while she heaves an exaggerated sigh, she bends down to kiss him. But when he attempts to draw her closer, she pulls back.

"Seriously. You're tired, and Kris is getting in early tomorrow and I'm going to meet her plane, so we both need to go to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Darcy."

She leaves, and Loki obediently goes to bed.

* * *

After a sparsely-attended breakfast the next morning, Steve comes in from wherever he has been speaking with Kristina and asks, "Loki? Did your spell, uh, take last night?"

Nobody seems curious what Steve is talking about, so Loki assumes that Steve has told the rest of the team what he has done. "I believe it did."

"Good. We need to call SHIELD and tell them, then."

"Oooh, pick me!" Tony shouts from the opposite side of the room where he has presumably been eavesdropping.

"Tony, you know the only reason you want to get in on a conference call with SHIELD is to piss Director Hill off. Sorry, but you'll have to do that on your own time."

"You ruin all my fun," Tony says, but he leaves the room with Bruce, their current project on the tablet in Tony's hands.

"I will sit in with you, Steve," Thor offers.

"Okay, thanks."

They are the only ones in the room now, and Steve asks, "JARVIS? Call SHIELD, please. Director Hill's line."

Thor moves to flank Loki, and Loki smiles to himself at his brother's overprotectiveness.

"Coming onscreen now, sir," JARVIS says.

It takes a few minutes for the call to be picked up on SHIELD's end, but when it is, they are met with Director Hill's business-like demeanor.

"What is it, Rogers?" She, like Fury, does not waste any time getting down to business.

"Director Hill, we wanted to let you know that we had Loki cast a spell preventing the opening of any more portals into Earth, except for the ones that his family or the Tesseract activate."

She does not seem to like this, but it is already done, so she merely says, "I'll let my people know. We might have some questions for Loki about how he did that later. Thanks for letting me know."

She disconnects the call, and the projection goes dark.

"Well, that went about as well as expected, Loki," Steve says. "We're not gonna tell the public about this, it's on a need-to-know basis, okay?"

Thor and Loki both agree, and Steve leaves the room. Thor claps Loki's shoulder and follows Steve out, and Loki goes to his room to read.

* * *

Kristina stays in New York for a few days, and Loki meets her for the first time. She is knowledgeable but friendly, and seems to be a good fit for the team, which Loki approves.

They observe several of the winter holidays, and it is a generally festive atmosphere. Asgard does not celebrate such holidays often, and Loki and Thor need instruction in some of the relevant customs, but they are both quick learners.

* * *

About a week after the Christmas celebration, Thor and Bruce follow Loki out of the dining room after they have eaten lunch. Loki was going to his room to work on his wedding present for them, but that is nothing that he cannot do later.

"Loki? Brother, we would like to talk to you," Thor says.

"Of course."

"Would you come to our room?"

"Yes." If Thor and Bruce want to speak with him in private, that must mean they wish to discuss a serious topic, but what, Loki cannot guess.

In their room, Loki sits in a chair opposite Thor and Bruce on the couch, and waits for one of them to begin.

"Loki, we want to tell you that you can say 'no,' if that's what you would prefer. But please, hear us out first." Bruce, surprisingly, is the first one to speak.

"What is it? You are worrying me."

"Do you remember that last message you carried to Mother on my behalf?" Thor asks.

"I do, yes." It had been sealed, and Loki did not know its contents, but Mother had seemed glad to receive it.

"Well, the time has come to inform you of a decision we have made along with Mother and Father. We were just waiting to hear from them to speak to you, and Mother has sent their reply today," Thor holds up an envelope.

"And what is this decision? You are being terribly cryptic, Thor."

"I am stepping aside. That is, I am removing myself from the line of succession to the throne. Neither Bruce nor I wish to remain on Asgard for the duration of our lives, and I feel that you would be a far better king than I."

Loki does not know what to say. Is there even an acceptable response to being told that you are suddenly next in line to a throne you never thought you would be given?

It takes a moment to formulate a reply. "And Mother and Father have agreed to this? What of my different ancestry?"

"They have agreed. Father wishes for you to remain on Asgard after our wedding, which is when he will make the announcement to the people, so that you and he can work together. Learn from each other, if you will. As for your ancestry, Loki, you are my brother and their son, and that is all that matters."

Loki knows that he still has lingering issues in need of resolution with Odin, but the issue of kinship, evidently, is not one of them.

"This is not a joke, Thor? Bruce?"

Bruce stands up and comes over to put a hand on Loki's shoulder. "I never wanted to marry into a royal family, you know. I would be a _terrible_ prince consort or whatever the title would be, and we both feel more at home on Earth than Asgard. It took me a while to bring this up with Thor, but it turned out that we had both thought of it, but Thor had been more proactive about the solution than I was."

"I am the solution?" That is a blow to his ego, though he tries to keep it from showing on his face.

"No, Loki. Damn it, I'm saying this all wrong. Listen. I don't want to be king or whatever, and Thor doesn't either. You're _good_ at this, better than Thor is, and you should be the first choice anyway, age difference or not. We're just making that possible."

"Oh."

Thor leans forward. "What do you say, brother?"

"I do not know _what_ to say, Thor. You seriously do not want the throne? You think I will do better? What does _Father_ think about all of this?"

Even though Odin is coming to respect Loki, Loki cannot believe that Odin would so willingly relinquish his crown to someone of Loki's ilk. Although they had been supposedly raised as 'equals,' it had always been understood that Thor would assume the throne while Loki remained in his shadow. Loki has never been told such a thing before, and this whole concept is preposterous. If Bruce were uninvolved, Loki would suspect a cruel, elaborate joke on Thor's part, even though it would be highly uncharacteristic of his brother.

Thor says, "Father recognizes that you have always been a better scholar than I, and better at keeping a cool head in a tense situation. I _know_ you will be a good king someday, but we are not asking you to assume the throne tomorrow. Father still has many years left in him. And no, Loki, I would rather be on Earth, home, than on Asgard handling the pressures of the throne. Perhaps that makes me a coward, makes me weak, I do not know. I just know it is the truth."

What else can Loki say, but, "I will do it."

Thor lunges at him then, pulls him into a hug, and Bruce leans into Thor's side, puts an arm around Loki as well.

It is a nice moment. Loki has a few more questions, though.

"Will I be required to marry an Æsir? Are you seriously giving up Asgard? What of your immortality?"

"Slow down, brother," Thor laughs. "You are free to marry whom you will, as I understand it. I am giving up Asgard, yes, although perhaps we will visit occasionally. And I am going to give up Mjölnir and all that comes with it in a few years, after we are assured of the stability of Earth. You have done much to assure this already."

"I see."

"You don't have to give up Darcy, Loki," Bruce says earnestly. "Nobody would ask that of you. And thank you."

"What would you have done if I said 'no?'" Loki has always been curious, perhaps too curious for his own good.

"We would have done our duty, Loki. Not with the lightest of hearts, but we would not abandon it."

"I am glad I can help."

"Consider it our wedding present. You know, this decision isn't going to be popular for a while. People are going to have to adjust to it. You'll be facing prejudice."

"Whenever have I not?" That is perhaps harsh, but it is the truth.

Neither Thor nor Bruce comment on the childish remark, though, Thor just says, "Just keep your head up and remember that you are the best possible candidate for the position. No one else would have been able to negotiate with the Jötunn so successfully."

"Thank you, brother. Is that all? I need some time to let this settle in, I think."

"That is all. Doubtless Heimdall has notified our parents by now; he was informed of the decision. He is still not your biggest fan, but he recognizes that you have changed and are who is best for Asgard."

Loki takes a minute to process this unexpected information—Heimdall does _not_ like him—before he decides that Thor must be embellishing the story slightly. Thor has always possessed a talent for stretching the truth, after all.

"Are you okay, Loki?" Bruce asks.

"I shall be fine, Bruce. Do not worry about me."

Then, Loki takes his leave of them, going down to his room and lying on his bed, hands folded across his chest, pensive.

He never would have expected to be asked that. Never.

* * *

He loses track of time as he thinks through what this means for him now, what this will mean for Darcy.

She knocks on his door some time later, and he sits up, calling for her to come in.

"Hey," she smiles, coming to sit at his side. "Bruce said that he and Thor gave you some pretty big news. You okay?"

"I am fine, thank you." She has an air of something, satisfaction, perhaps, about her, and he asks, "Are you well?"

"I just got an acceptance letter from a school here in New York, so I'm damn good. Uh, care to share your news?"

"Congratulations, Darcy! That is incredible!"

"Thanks. Your news?"

Loki does not know exactly how to phrase it, so he starts, "Do you remember asking about my future plans?"

"Yeah, I do. You said you didn't really know."

"Now I do. Thor is stepping aside and refusing the throne of Asgard, meaning that it will pass to me when our father's time is through."

Darcy blinks.

"Wow, that's awesome! Congratulations, Loki! I know you wanted a purpose again, and that you've kinda never really felt the most at home here on Earth."

"You are correct. And thank you."

She seems to gather her courage before posing a question, "What does that mean for us?"

"I will be required to live on Asgard after the wedding, but I will be able to visit. If you will be in school then, I believe that works out well for us, as we will both be occupied."

"Yeah, it does. But you don't, uh, have to marry someone a lot better qualified to help you rule than me?"

"We are not guaranteed to last, Darcy, though I hope we will. But no, I do not. I am free to marry whomever I choose, when I choose. There is no rush."

"So you're not gonna propose now or anything? 'Cause, no offense, Loki, but that would be too fast for me. Sorry."

"I am not. If and when I propose, it will be when we both are ready."

"Phew." She sags against him dramatically. "Glad that's settled. You're awfully calm about this, though."

"It is an awesome responsibility and one might go even so far as to say a burden. The Nine Realms appear at peace now, but that probably cannot last forever."

"You can do it, Loki. I have faith in you. Now, come on, we're gonna be late for dinner." But she leans in for a quick kiss first.

Loki allows himself to be led downstairs to the dinner table. There seems to be an agreement to not tell the others of his new status right away, although Loki thinks it will be unfair to wait until the wedding to inform them.

But for now, he is happy to be where he is. And so is Darcy, if the smile on her face as she bumps her leg against his under the table is any indication.

* * *

**Man, I have been wanting to write that scene for forever.**

**Okay, some news. This is the last official chapter of Fragile, but don't worry, we're not quite done yet! I won't be updating next week since I have a final then, but the week after that (August 15), I'll be posting Thor and Bruce's wedding, aka Darcy Does Asgard. And then after that comes the epilogue, which is the end of this series. God, has this been a great ride.**

**Um. After that shocker, I'm almost hesitant to ask for opinions, but please, let me hear them?**


	12. The Wedding

**My beta, dysprositos, was an amazing help with this, and completely great about listening to me whine.**

* * *

Darcy takes Natasha's hand on one side and Loki's on her other as they stand in a large circle, preparing to travel to Asgard for Thor and Bruce's wedding.

Thor and Bruce had left Earth a couple months ago to go assist with the planning (and probably to get away from the cameras shoved in their faces every time they left the Tower; the press was eager to either decry their relationship or gather details about their wedding), and now the big event is in a week's time.

Director Hill has been given a means of notifying the Avengers if they are needed, but they are, for all intents and purposes, going on vacation.

It's a last hurrah of sorts for Darcy; she starts graduate school in New York in three weeks and she'll be too busy for any interdimensional travel until at least December. And Loki's staying in Asgard after the wedding, so they'll be apart.

For now, though, they've got a week and a half together on Asgard, and Darcy plans to make the most of it. It's still a little early to be admitting her feelings for Loki; they've only been dating six months or so, and while Darcy doesn't have a problem with moving quickly (Thor and Bruce had gotten engaged about seven months after they'd started dating, and are getting married just under a year after that, after all), that's not for her. But she does love Loki, she thinks.

But school's going to be the main thing in her life for the next couple years at least, and that's the way she wants it.

Her luggage, clutched between her hand and Loki's, is starting to get heavy despite the fact that she hasn't packed much since Loki had told the group that most of their clothing would be provided, and Darcy cranes her neck around, looking for the source of the delay. It's Tony, who is fumbling with the Iron Man suit in its briefcase and his suitcase, rendering the circle Loki has said was necessary for travel incomplete.

He's the only one carrying obvious weaponry, although Darcy would bet that both Clint and Natasha are armed to the teeth. Steve has opted to leave his shield behind, explaining that he doesn't want to seem militant.

Tony continues to struggle to hold everything and take Natasha and Clint's hands, until Clint snatches Tony's suitcase from the engineer and sticks it under his arm, leaving Tony to hold the Iron Man briefcase and take Clint's hand, which he does after sticking his tongue out at Clint.

_Finally_.

Loki says, "Is everyone ready?" and when he has received his answer, twists the handle of the Tesseract, held between him and Steve, and they begin to move.

Darcy can _see_ herself disappear, and that's equally cool and disturbing. She doesn't think she'll ever get used to magic, no matter how much time she has spent in Tony's workshop over the last few months, watching him and Loki work together to configure Tony's Iron Man briefcase armor to work in Asgard, and, at Kristina's request, a camera, so that photographs of Thor and Bruce's wedding can be published back on Earth.

And Darcy'd had a request of her own, but that's a surprise for later.

She stumbles a little as her feet suddenly find the ground, and Loki lets go of her hand to grab her upper arm, steadying her.

Around her, the Avengers are getting their bearings, and Darcy blinks slowly, taking it all in. She guesses that they're in the palace, which is gold and glittery and just really, really huge.

Several people come over, and Darcy prepares herself to meet some of Thor and Loki's friends, but instead they politely brush past and pick up the luggage that the new arrivals have set on the floor at their feet. Tony snatches his briefcase up off the floor before it can be handled by someone else.

Loki nods to them, and they carry the luggage off. Servants, then.

Darcy's never had so much as a bellboy at a hotel give her a hand with her luggage, and so this is weird.

But they had been prepared for cultural differences, had listened to a lecture from Steve on the subject of not offending any of the Æsir, that they might need their cooperation in the future.

And Darcy doesn't want to make things any worse for Loki. Odin will be announcing Thor's official departure and Loki's ascension to Thor's old position after the wedding, and Darcy can guess that it won't be the most popular thing to have ever happened on Asgard.

So she follows Loki when he leads them out of the small alcove and down a long hall. They pass a few people, but Loki doesn't seem inclined to stop and talk. He turns down a smaller hallway and says, "Tony, Natasha, that is your room. Your luggage should have already been delivered. I apologize, I know you two do not share a room in your home, but my mother made the arrangements and she is unaware of that."

"We'll be fine. I can always dangle him off a balcony if he gets annoying or something," Natasha says. "Thank you, Loki."

"Hey, I resent that!" Tony protests.

"You will be required to change into Asgardian dress for dinner, and if you need help with your attire, there is a pullcord located next to the door that will summon assistance. As I told you, clothing has been provided for it. It should be in the dresser, and your sizes have been predetermined, so everything should fit." Loki's mouth twists a little, and he says apologetically, "It is custom, you understand."

"No prob, Frosty," Tony replies, "I've always wanted to dress like you guys."

With that, he disappears into the room, leaving Natasha to follow behind.

"Do we really get armor?" Clint asks as Loki starts walking again.

"A version has been prepared for you, yes, but it is generally not considered appropriate attire for dinner. I believe my mother and the tailor were anticipating that as warriors in your own culture, you might like to demonstrate your skills here."

Steve sighs, probably resigned to the fact that there will be fighting. "I'll go tell Tony and Natasha in a bit. Don't want them to be out of place."

Loki stops walking in front of another door. "Steve, Clint, you will be sleeping in there. Your clothes are waiting for you inside as well, and you too have a pullcord. Either Thor or I will fetch you at dinner time; until then, please do not wander far."

"Got it, Loki. Hey, thanks," Steve smiles. "Your home is really neat."

Loki smiles back, and Steve and Clint go into their room, leaving Darcy alone with Loki. "Where am I sleeping?"

Taking her arm, Loki answers, "In the room next to mine. Come with me."

They go back down the hall and around the corner, down another hallway, and Loki opens a door for Darcy, ushering her through.

The room is huge, and Darcy sees her suitcase waiting for her next to the bed.

She checks to make sure that the door has been shut before flopping onto the bed and lying there for a minute before tugging Loki down and rolling partly on top of him.

He starts to say something, probably about his dignity and how she is trampling all over it, but she grabs one of the many pillows and shoves it in his face, effectively shutting him up.

From underneath it, he makes a 'hmph' noise, and Darcy giggles.

It's a relief to know that their dynamic hasn't changed, even on another realm.

* * *

Dinner that night goes well, even if everyone except for Natasha and Tony seems flummoxed by the sheer amount of silverware they have next to their plates. Darcy watches Loki, though, and the others seem to catch on quickly, as well.

Thor and Bruce make their first appearance, and Darcy notices how well Bruce's Asgardian clothes suit him. He's also filled out a little, doesn't seem quite so skinny, and when Darcy watches Thor and Loki's mom put food on Bruce's plate, she knows why that is.

Seeing everyone in their Asgardian clothes is interesting. Darcy's the only one wearing a dress, as Natasha has on a practical pants and tunic combination similar to what all the guys are wearing. Darcy likes her dress, though; it's a pretty dark purple.

Conversation is a little rough at first, until Clint unwittingly says something wrong, making Frigga laugh. The whole party laughs with her, and then the tension is broken.

After they eat, Loki suggests that they retire to their rooms for the evening as the effects of traveling by Tesseract are going to hit them soon, if they have not already.

Darcy's been yawning almost uncontrollably for the last ten minutes, so she's the first one on her feet, saying goodnight to their hosts and Thor and Bruce (who seems almost smug about his wide-awake-ness), and letting Loki take her hand to lead her back to her room.

A couple guards follow them out of the great hall, and Loki completely ignores them, like it's something that happens everyday.

And then it hits Darcy. It _does _happen every day.

When they get back to her room, Loki makes to come inside for one of their regular nighttime chats, but Darcy pauses at the door and says, "Uh, Loki, I'm really tired. I'll see you in the morning, right?"

"Indeed. Sleep well."

She shuts the door behind him and leans against it, breathing more heavily now that she is alone.

_God, is this what it's like to be royalty?_

After a moment, she opens the door a crack to make sure that Loki's gone and she almost hits the guard standing outside with the door.

He turns and asks, "Did you need something, my lady?"

"No, I was just, uh, checking something. Night!"

Darcy hurries back into her room and curls up on the large bed, overwhelmed.

She had realized that dating a prince was going to be different, but she hadn't really grasped just _how much_ it would be. It's one thing to know something, and another thing entirely to see it demonstrated. And she supposes that she's been suppressing the knowledge for the last few months, wanting to enjoy the time she had before everything changes.

After a moment of contemplation, she forces herself up and out of the dress, reaching around behind herself to undo the buttons that fastened it.

The maid who had helped her dress earlier had shown her where the Asgardian pajamas were kept, but Darcy pulls open her suitcase to get out her toiletries bag and takes out the pjs that she'd brought instead.

Once she's brushed her teeth and put her familiar pjs on, she feels better, but it's still a lot to take in.

Despite her tiredness, she can't fall asleep for a while, her mind racing with all the implications that this might have.

She and Loki are going to have a fucking _talk_ tomorrow.

* * *

Darcy wakes up, pulls on another of the dresses hanging in her room, green this time, and goes out of her room.

The guard standing there offers to walk her to where breakfast is being served, and she accepts, knowing that she would probably get lost otherwise.

She's shown to a smaller room than where they had eaten dinner last night, and Natasha and Tony are already inside.

Tony pushes a cup of something at her, and says, "It's not quite coffee, but it'll do," not seeming all the way awake himself.

Steve and Clint come in before the food is brought, and the five of them eat in silence.

When they finish, Loki hurries in for a second, bending down to give Darcy a quick kiss and saying, "I have duties to attend to this morning, I am sorry."

"We need to talk, Loki. Find me when you're through with your work, okay?"

"I will. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm good. Go on, you don't want to be late for whatever."

He goes, throwing a puzzled look over his shoulder.

Natasha nudges Darcy's arm and says, "Loki was right; we've all got invitations to go train with Thor's friends today. Would you like to come? I'm sure Clint will need a cheering section for when he's getting his ass kicked."

"Tasha!" Clint cries, reaching over to hit her shoulder.

She ignores him, and Darcy shrugs, "Sure, why not."

Natasha, Clint, and Steve are already wearing the Asgardian armor, and Tony pulls his briefcase from under the table, so Darcy gets up to follow them to wherever it is that they're going.

Despite herself, she has a great time watching them spar. And Clint puts in a special effort as if to prove Natasha wrong, and it's Tony who winds up the biggest loser, as after a demonstration of his flight capabilities, he's forbidden to leave the ground in order to not gain an unfair advantage.

Before she knows it, it's lunchtime and she's going back inside with the others to eat.

But she's intercepted by Loki, who is carrying a picnic basket over his arm and looking hopeful.

"Catch you guys later!" Darcy yells at the Avengers and turns to Loki. "What's the plan?"

"Come with me," he says, and they go outside.

Darcy pretends to not notice the two guards trailing them at a discreet distance until they're settled down, and then she asks, "What's with the constant armed escort? I'm not a total wilting violet, you know."

"I am aware of that. My father wishes to be cautious with the wedding happening so soon. It would be a great triumph for one of Asgard's enemies to disrupt the proceedings."

"Makes sense, I guess."

Loki begins to lay out their food, handing Darcy a piece of meat when she reaches to attempt to help.

She can take a hint, and she settles back, beginning to relax some.

After they've eaten, Loki asks, "You said you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, Loki. I guess it just hit me all of a sudden, what it's gonna be like for me if we stay together."

He inclines his head. "There would be great sacrifice required on both our parts."

"That's just the thing. I don't know what I'm getting into here, and I'd like you to explain it to me."

Loki does, explaining duties and how she'd be expected to support him and a whole long list of things, a great deal of which seem to be replete with ingrained misogyny.

Darcy nods, waits until he's through, and asks, "Is that what your mom does?"

"Mostly, yes, although she plays a larger part than most realize."

"Loki, I'm not trying to be an ass, but what happened this morning, with you just swinging by to tell me you were going to be busy and expecting me to be cool with that? That wasn't okay with me. This is new for me, and for you too, but you can't just expect me to be there when you need me and to just go amuse myself when you're busy. I don't work like that, and frankly, I'm a little worried that you seem to expect me to."

Loki is quiet for a long moment, taking this in. Then he says, "I apologize. It would appear that I acted without considering the implications for you."

"Damn straight."

"Tradition is not so easily changed here, but I am willing to try if you are."

Darcy takes a minute to process that before she points a finger in Loki's face, "You're not asking me to marry you, are you? Because we talked about that."

"I am not. But I am stating my intention to not, as you would say, 'break up' with you."

"So we're like...engaged to be engaged?"

"I suppose."

"Don't think that gets you off the hook, mister. And _don't_ do that again. I deserve more than a quick 'hello, I have work to do and you're not invited, later, babe!'"

"You do. That was a mistake."

"Okay, then. Well, I guess that's one thing for your to-do list."

Loki nods to agree with that, then changes the subject. "Would you like a tour? I know we did not have time for one yesterday."

"Sure." Darcy doesn't mind the subject change; she figures that was a lot of criticism for him in one sitting.

Loki beckons one of the guards over and hands him the picnic basket, getting to his feet and holding out a hand to help Darcy up.

They wander through the gardens and Darcy finds that as long as she doesn't pay much attention to their entourage, she can forget that they're there.

Eventually, Loki leads her down a long path towards the edge of the Bifrost, where he introduces her to Heimdall, who stands at the top of the bridge.

He is polite enough, but Darcy can tell that he doesn't like Loki much.

But after what Loki's told her, she figures that Heimdall's got a right to his opinion. Being frozen by someone out to blow up another world wouldn't exactly endear her to that guy, either. But Loki _is_ different now. Darcy might not think much of some of her past choices, but she knows that she'd never stick around a guy who kills people for kicks. Or freezes them. Whatever.

So she's nice to Heimdall, glares at Loki when he says something kind of rude, and steps on his foot until he apologizes. That seems to amuse Heimdall, at least.

They leave him and walk around for a while longer until Darcy's feet begin to hurt in the unfamiliar shoes and Loki lets her lean on him some as they go up to the palace and back to her room.

He leaves her in her room, promising to be right back, and Darcy kicks off the shoes and rests back against the pillows.

A few minutes later, he's back with a small jar of something, and he sits on the edge of her bed and pulls her feet into his lap, rubbing the ointment into her blisters.

It stings at first, but the hurt almost immediately begins to fade, and Darcy sighs, thanking him.

He finishes up and washes his hands, coming back out to say, "My mother is most eager to meet you."

"We've met, haven't we? I don't get it."

"In private. I believe she has embarrassing childhood tales to relate." He makes a sour face.

"Ah." Darcy smiles, thinking about cute baby Loki. "Does she want to meet today? I'm not exactly super busy..."

"I do not believe so; she is with Thor and Bruce."

"They've still got planning to do?"

"Apparently so."

"Well, I'm happy to see her whenever. Hearing baby stories about you is gonna rock. Although I guess she doesn't have pictures."

"There are a few portraits, but Thor and I were much too restless to pose for long."

He's still standing off to the side, so Darcy beckons, "Come here," and curls into his side as he lies next to her on the bed.

They stay like that, talking, until he announces that it's time for dinner.

* * *

The day of the wedding dawns nice and clear, even though it had been threatening to rain the previous afternoon.

Darcy is a little nervous for Bruce's sake, but she's feeling a lot more comfortable. Loki's mom is really great (and had told her some hilarious stories), and his dad is intimidating but he does seem like he's trying.

Her fancy dress had been brought in the day before, and she looks at it hanging on the hook off to the side, smiling.

The ceremony is scheduled for midmorning, and Darcy gets up and puts on a simpler dress for breakfast, not wanting to accidentally spill anything on her wedding get-up.

Bruce joins them for breakfast but Thor doesn't, and Bruce explains that they also have the tradition of not seeing each other before the ceremony here on Asgard, so Thor is eating with Loki and they'll be getting ready separately.

He seems nervous, only picking at his food, and Darcy figures that it's time for a pep talk, so after the rest of the group finishes their food, she hooks her arm through Bruce's and says, "Come to my room for a minute, okay?" Over her shoulder, she adds, "I'll see you in a bit, Tasha."

They're splitting down gender lines to get ready to make it easier on the servants who are going to be helping them, and Natasha is supposed to be coming to Darcy's room.

But first, she takes Bruce there, proud of her new-found ability to navigate the confusing hallways, and shoves him down on the bed so that they're at eye level.

"Nervous?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"Well, just remember, you've been planning this forever, you know exactly what's gonna go down. And you love Thor, right? He's worth all this fuss?"

Bruce just gives her a look like that's the stupidest question he's ever heard, and Darcy guesses that he's maybe got a point.

"Anyway, don't be nervous. The worst thing that can happen is that you trip and fall, and I promise, if you do something like that, I'll do it too, and even worse. If you fall, I'll fall and take Loki down with me or something, okay?"

He smiles, albeit reluctantly. "Thanks, Darce. We'll all just make fools out of ourselves, why don't we?"

"Sounds like a plan, doc. Now," she takes his arm and walks him to the door, "Go get ready and knock 'em dead."

"See you at the altar, Darce."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Bye!"

He leaves, and Darcy goes out to grab Natasha, who turns out to be waiting just around a corner, carrying her dress.

They go back to Darcy's room and get ready with assistance. It hadn't been exactly their idea; they can both get ready on their own, but Loki had almost insisted, saying it was custom, and they agreed.

* * *

Odin officiates, and Bruce and Thor both look great. Thor's wearing a more ceremonial version of his armor, complete with flowing cape, and Bruce has on a similar version, wearing blue. His cape is short enough that he won't trip over it, and Darcy suspects that Bruce intended for it to be that way.

The actual ceremony is pretty short, and after all the words have been said, Clint pulls the camera that Tony and Loki had modified out of his bag and starts hollering directions, seeming like he's having just a little _too_ much fun.

Eventually, Steve goes over and takes the camera out of his hands, tells Clint to go stand next to Natasha, takes two pictures of them, and turns the camera off, stowing it back in the bag and holding it up out of Clint's reach when he tries to grab it back.

With that taken care of, Odin and Frigga lead the way into the big hall, where they have a feast. Darcy eats until she can't hold any more, and then soon after, the after party starts for real.

They go to the ballroom, where musicians are just finishing setting up, and Thor hauls Bruce out to the middle of the floor, Odin and Frigga taking a place next to them, and the music starts. The two couples dance the whole song alone on the floor, and Darcy is surprised to see that Bruce actually has some moves.

Loki explains, "Bruce has been taking lessons with Thor and Mother for months now in preparation for this."

"That's good of them to teach him."

The dance style doesn't seem all that different from the few ballroom dancing classes Darcy had taken on the weekends when she was in middle school, so when other couples start moving onto the floor, she holds out a hand to Loki and says, "Shall we?"

They sweep out onto the floor and Darcy only steps on Loki's toes twice—which he bears stoically—before the memories come back to her and she's able to keep up.

It's a blur of switching partners after that, with a brief break to help Natasha show Steve and Clint how to dance properly ("Clint, shaking your ass isn't going to cut it in here," Natasha huffs), until Darcy finds herself face-to-face with Bruce.

They're both used to following and not leading due to being shorter than their partners, and they almost trip a couple times before they get a rhythm established.

"Having fun?" Darcy asks.

"I am, actually," Bruce smiles, his cheeks flushed from the exertion.

"I told you."

Then Thor is tapping on her shoulder to re-claim his partner, and Darcy slips off the dance floor over to Loki, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her iPod, which had also undergone modifications in Tony's workshop.

Loki's been carrying the corresponding dock for her, and she puts the two pieces together, queueing up the song and motioning Tony over to do the honors. There's no way she's going to miss the look on their faces for this.

Once she and Loki have gotten to the edge of the floor, where Thor and Bruce are still dancing, Darcy gives Tony the signal over her shoulder and Natasha, who has been whispering to the conductor of the musicians, gets them to be quiet.

There's a beat of total silence as the waltz cuts off suddenly, then the opening notes of Katy Perry's "ET" fills the air. Darcy sees Bruce tip his head back and laugh, before tugging Thor into motion again.

Darcy gives them a minute on their own before she heads out with Loki, and they dance until the song is finished, at which point she goes to reclaim her iPod.

The festivities go on for a while longer, until she sees Odin, Thor, and Loki talking quietly off to the side, and realizes that it's time for _the_ announcement.

Odin steps up on the musicians' platform and waits until the song ends before Thor and Loki step up, one on either side of him.

Darcy has to crane her neck and look around until she sees Frigga near the front of the crowd, and that's not cool; Frigga totally deserves to be up there with her family.

Odin starts off by saying, "My friends, my sons and I have an announcement to make."

Thor leans forward slightly and begins, "My fellow Æsir, I want to thank you for attending my wedding. Bruce and I have had a great day, something that would not have been possible without you, our honored guests. Thank you for welcoming my new husband and I so graciously."

He continues, "Asgard has always been my home, and I have and will always feel closely tied to it and its people. But today, I have started on a new path in my life, one that will take me far from this place I have called home." Thor pauses to cast a look down at Bruce. "Bruce and I have decided to make Midgard our permanent home, and as such, I am giving up my position in the line of succession to the throne. I will always love Asgard, but Midgard and Bruce are my home now. I hope you can understand."

Odin lays a hand on Thor's shoulder, and he says, "While I am sad that Thor is leaving home, I am glad that he has such a competent brother as Loki, who is willing to assume his place. Loki will be remaining in Asgard to learn under me."

The room is totally silent, and Darcy hopes that's a good sign.

Loki says only, "With my parents' support, I hope I can do what is best for Asgard."

They step down and leave the room, and Frigga makes her way over to Darcy and says, "Come on, dear, we should leave now, too. They will need time to adjust, to release some of their frustrations, and it is probably for the best that we are not present for that."

So Darcy goes out of the big ballroom, and meets up with the other Avengers. Thor and Bruce have already disappeared, and she spends the rest of the day with her friends (and manages to keep her dress totally stain-free).

* * *

Darcy leaves Asgard intrigued. She and Loki still aren't totally set in stone, but for now, with a long separation pending, that's good enough.

And Thor and Bruce are ridiculously happy, which makes the whole trip and the major jet-lag she has when she gets home worth it.

* * *

**The epilogue's coming up next week, folks! Hope to see you then, thanks for reading!**

**Leave a review on your way out, please?**


	13. Epilogue

**Many thanks to my beta, dysprositos, for fixing school shit, pointing out date inconsistencies, and allowing me to steal her headcanon about Steve.**

* * *

Thor and Bruce move to the West Coast after returning from their wedding and a brief ceremony in a New York courthouse to make their marriage official on Earth (because getting married on another realm apparently doesn't count).

SHIELD helps get Thor official papers, and he studies for and passes the citizenship test. He takes Bruce's last name rather than using 'Odinson,' which makes Bruce laugh, pointing out that 'Thor Banner' is rather disconcordant. Thor disagrees, and Bruce doesn't really mind.

Bruce gets a job teaching physics at a university and Thor enrolls as a student, majoring in biology. For a while, they're notorious for being Avengers, but that soon shifts to being the only teacher-student married pair that most people have seen. Thor never takes Bruce's classes, so the administration doesn't mind, since they were both upfront about their marriage when they applied for their respective positions.

After one abortive attempt at Bruce teaching Thor to drive, Thor sheepishly enrolls in driving school, where he can be taught by someone who knows what they're doing (and who has an emergency brake on their side of the car—that poor flowerbed will never be the same).

Every weekend after Thor gets his driver's license, they go out onto an isolated piece of land that they own, and Hulk comes out for some exercise, sometimes wrestling with Thor and sometimes just amusing himself. Afterwards, Bruce sleeps on Thor's shoulder as he drives them back to their house.

The others visit occasionally, but Thor and Bruce aren't able to get back to New York much, although they do make two trips a year to Asgard. They're both on call if the world needs saving, but with Loki's spell in place keeping travel into Earth off limits for those with bad intentions, only a few ordinary Earth villains pop up, which is nothing that the others can't handle.

Thor takes five years to graduate, but after he does, he goes back to Asgard for a week alone and returns mortal.

He and Bruce officially retire from the Avengers then, although Bruce agrees that he can be called upon if necessary.

Thor starts graduate school an hour's commute away, and that's fairly stressful for a while with their conflicting schedules, but he and Bruce still find the time to celebrate Thor's first gray hair.

And once Thor has his Masters degree (in marine biology), he takes a job at an aquarium and he and Bruce move closer to the coast, where they settle for good.

They're happy there.

* * *

Natasha and Tony move to Malibu temporarily after returning from Thor and Bruce's wedding, but they realize that they prefer New York, so they move back. All but one of the few incidents they're called in to deal with happen in New York, anyway.

About two and a half years after that, they're awakened at two in the morning by JARVIS informing them that an odd package is being left in the lobby of Stark Tower, which is open at all hours.

He doesn't specify what qualifies the package as 'odd,' so Tony suits up and Natasha grabs her favorite gun, and they head downstairs to investigate. They find the lobby staff clustered around a small cardboard box, and Natasha pushes her way to the front.

Inside the box is a baby, and Natasha hands her gun to Tony as she bends down to pick it up, looking it over.

They initially turn the child over to Child Services, but Natasha sits up for the rest of that night thinking, turning an idea over and over in her mind.

When Tony wakes up, she confronts him rather bluntly, "Have you thought about kids?"

He hasn't, but Natasha explains that she'd like to see about adopting that child. Tony wisely does not voice any objections, but heads to his workshop for a conversation with JARVIS. Reassured that the smartest guy he knows doesn't think he'll be a terrible dad, Tony prints off the adoption application and presents it to Natasha in a gift-wrapped box.

They both have to make some adjustments while going through the proper adoption process, but eventually, Natasha and Tony have a daughter.

They name her Nova Maria Stark, and when Tony protests that she should have Natasha's last name since she's being named after his mother, Natasha rolls her eyes and points out that Nova is taken from her Russian last name.

Tony hasn't thought of it like that, and he quits arguing.

He, like Bruce, moves to the mostly retired list of superheroes, and throws himself into childproofing their floors of the Tower.

Natasha does the same, officially retiring from espionage, and takes a specialist job with the NYPD SWAT team instead, and she and Tony mostly swap off on staying at home with their daughter during the day.

One of the few visits that Thor and Bruce are able to make to New York is to see Nova just after she starts talking, a few months after her adoption is finalized.

After they leave the Avengers, leaving Clint and Steve the only active members of the team, Kristina's job becomes largely ceremonial, and after two months of nothing to do, she declares her intention to look for work elsewhere. SHIELD and Stark Industries promptly make her competing offers, although Tony makes sure that his offer is better. She takes the job with SI and moves to California to work at headquarters and be closer to her parents.

Nova grows up in New York and wants to be a writer, and Natasha and Tony do their best to encourage that, not wanting her to feel that she has to follow in either of their footsteps.

And, writing under a pseudonym, she becomes a success. Tony and Natasha couldn't be prouder.

* * *

Clint and Steve hang around New York until Nova is two, and then they move, wanting to get the hell out of the city. SHIELD's got New York protected, has a new special squadron of agents for that purpose, and they're both sick of stagnating without much to do.

They settle in the Midwest, and Steve goes to art school while Clint takes a job working with an afterschool program. He's popular with the kids, as is Steve, who volunteers there once a week. The children get over having Hawkeye and Captain America working with them more quickly than expected, although most of Clint's kids call him 'Mr. Hawkeye.'

After Steve graduates and establishes himself as an artist, he is able to volunteer with the kids more often. And they're a great inspiration for him; he spends most of his time illustrating children's books.

One day, Clint finds a stray dog on the side of the highway on his way home from work, and he pulls over, coaxes it in the car, and drives to the vet.

The dog gets checked out and gets its shots before Clint takes it home, throwing down some newspapers on the bathroom floor and leaving to run to the grocery store quickly.

When he gets home, he lets the dog out and makes lasagna, Steve's favorite.

Steve comes home from his studio, smells dinner cooking, takes one look at the dog, sighs, and asks, "Have you named it yet?"

They bicker about names over dinner, finally settling on Fido (Clint insists).

Natasha almost falls off her chair laughing when she and Clint, who have weekly video chats, have their first one after Clint and Steve acquire Fido, and Fido shoves Clint out of the way to come investigate the computer screen.

Of course, her laughter draws Nova, who immediately starts campaigning for a visit to her uncles, which she gets for Steve's birthday the next month.

And Clint and Steve both still have their ups and downs, but ultimately, they're glad to be where they are.

* * *

Darcy gets her Masters in Political Science and almost immediately moves to Asgard full time. Loki had proposed when he had come to her graduation, and she'd accepted. They've been together about three years now, and she thinks that's a long enough time to get to know a person before spending what amounts to the rest of forever with them.

Their wedding doesn't take as long to plan as Thor and Bruce's had, largely because they reuse many of the same ideas.

Darcy doesn't wait for their marriage to start getting involved in Asgard's politics, though, and although it takes a while for the male-dominated society to take her seriously, she is stubborn.

All their friends are able to make it from Earth for the ceremony, and a couple weeks later, when Nova turns up on Natasha and Tony's doorstep, Darcy is glad that they hadn't pushed the wedding date back like they had been considering, knowing that it was unlikely that Natasha and Tony would be budging from New York for a while.

The day that Thor gives up his immortality is the day that Darcy gains hers, and soon after, she and Loki announce their first pregnancy.

Darcy doesn't let their child prevent her from being active in the government, and soon after the birth of their second child, Odin abdicates in Loki's favor, having decided that he has taught Loki and Darcy all he can.

She and Loki make many decisions jointly, and they balance child-caring duties because Darcy doesn't want to rely on a nanny.

They have one more child before Darcy declares that she's done. Loki doesn't protest.

All three kids spend some time on Earth to better understand their mother's heritage and although it goes unsaid by either parent, to ensure that they don't grow up arrogant like their father and his brother had.

The kids are exceptionally fond of Uncle Thor and Uncle Bruce, although they're soon stronger than Thor, who mostly only pretends to mind that one of their favorite activities is bench pressing him. Hulk turns out to be good with the kids, and it becomes fairly common for them to join Thor and Bruce on their weekend excursions, even going out with just Bruce during the winter when Thor would prefer to stay at home.

Darcy finds her place on Asgard, and Loki his, and while their life is not without strife, they are both content there.

* * *

None of them have the future that they envisioned for themselves when they were younger, but they figure out that's not such a bad thing.

And with that, their stories are complete.

* * *

***starts crying***

**Wow. I really can't believe that's over. I posted the first chapter of Finite a year ago today, which is oddly poetic in a way. A couple rambling things before y'all go on your way, if you don't mind indulging me.**

**1. DYSPROSITOS. Seriously, I could never have done this series without her. She's an awesome beta and a kickass friend, and I've been so fortunate to work with her.**

**2. YOU GUYS. _Thank you_. To everyone, I don't care if you started reading when I hesitantly posted Finite or if you started reading this earlier today. You are all amazing, and thank you for reading/reviewing/generally being supportive. I don't think I can express how much that means to me. Thank you!**

**With that, the series "If Nothing Else" is done, and I'm off to sob. Leave one last review, please?**


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